All Grown Up
by VegitarianxVampire
Summary: Sequel to 'Love Is A Funny Thing'- Anthony and Annabelle are 17, seniors. Annabelle had inherited Edwards charisma, while Anthony has Bella's shy nature. Annabelle is the head cheerleader, determined to make Anthony popular. But, will love crush her plan?
1. It All Started On A Monday

**A/N- All right, I know a lot of you are exited to read the first chapter of **_**All Grown Up (**_**what with the whole DAY you had to wait for it)**

**So, without further ado, here it is, my Easter present to you. Enjoy.**

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3RD PERSON POV (I NEVER DO THIS)

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"7:15!" Bella Cullen called up the stairs toward her kids rooms. It as your typical Monday morning- Bella had just finished making breakfast (nothing that she nor her husband, Edward, would eat themselves), Edward was staring at Bella, wondering how he got so lucky in marrying this woman (as he did often).

Their son, Anthony, was downstairs on time, his black backpack slung over his right shoulder. He was dressed in the same fashion his dad normally used; light blue button-up men's shirt with black Levi jeans. His bronze hair was caught in the margins between chaotic and orderly, his emerald green eyes bright. Apart from the eye color, Anthony was the carbon copy of his handsome father, whom he was named after.

"Have a good day at school," Bella said, kissing her son's cheek.

"Thanks, Mom." he replied, smiling as he grabbed his routine glass of no-pulp orange juice from the counter and a piece of toast from the toaster.

Annabelle, the twin sister of Anthony, danced down the stairs then, donning her favorite apparel: her cheerleading uniform. As head cheerleader for the Coyotes, she had required that the girls on the squad wear their uniforms to school on Mondays and Fridays, the days of their weekly, all-school pep rallies. Her fully formed hips held up the blue and gold pleated skirt easily, though she wore a jacket over the tank top, embellished with a giant golden 'C'. Her backpack was slung over her left shoulder, her mahogany curls pulled into a ponytail, held up by a sapphire blue ribbon. Her chocolate eyes smoldered with excitement for the after-school assembly, a fine chance to flaunt her excellent moves.

"Bye, Daddy." she said sweetly, kissing her fathers jaw.

"Have a good day, sweetheart." Edward replied, judging, for the thousandth time, the length of his beloved daughter's skirt. Annabelle hugged her mother and grabbed her mango juice-and-toast breakfast off of the counter.

"All right," she said, taking a giant bite out of the toast, "there's no practice tonight- Coach's sister had her baby last night, so she went to visit."

"That's nice," Bella said.

Annabelle nodded as she polished off the toast. "Ready to go?" she asked, turning to Anthony. The two had been carpooling to school almost every day since last year, mainly because she was a total tree hugger, and Anthony's Mercedes got better gas mileage than her own Porsche.

He nodded. "Bye Mom, bye Dad." he said, waving at his parents as he headed out the door. They climbed into his car and sped off, thinking about two totally different subjects: Annabelle was pondering the text message her best friend, Jessica Beeland, had sent her earlier, that read;

**Party tonight my place- bring your brother! **

She had responded with;

**He probably won't go for it- you know how he is. :(**

After less than a few seconds, Jessica had come up with the solution.

**Beg! Please? It's for me- having both of you there would make it the hottest (or should I say 'most attractive') party ever!!! He's too hot!**

Annabelle had choked back a giggle at that; it was hilarious to listen to other girls, especially her friends on the squad, hit on her brother.

Anthony, however, was thinking about the Pythagorean therom for his quiz in Algebra 4.

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APOV (Anthony's Point Of View)

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"So," Annabelle started casually, that 'I want something from you' tone in her voice, "Jessica Beeland is having a party tonight and really wants you to come."

I rolled my eyes- she had been trying to "boost my popularity level" since she had become head cheerleader (a.k.a 'queen of the faceless zombies') at the beginning of the year. Her sprint to fame had made her become obsessed with making me popular, too- she had tried to hook me up with all of her friends, to drag me to every party, and quite frankly, I was getting sick of her efforts. All of the girls she had set me up with had only rambled about themselves the entire time, so, towards the last few, I just started turning her down. I just didn't fit in with her crowd.

"I take it you're not going with me." she sighed.

"I'll think about it." I said. _No way. _I thought.

She surprised me by exploding.

"That's the exact same thing you said about trying out for the baseball team!" she hissed, "And tryouts are in three weeks! I haven't seen you bring home any forms for Mom and Dad to sign!"

Another eye roll.

"I mean, God, Anthony!" she sighed after a moment, leaning against the passenger's side door, "You are awesome at baseball! Mickey Mantel wishes that he had your skills!"

"Mickey Mantel is dead." I said in a poor attempt to change the subject.

"So?" she demanded, "We aren't talking about him, Anthony. We're talking about you. You have skills, yet you won't let anyone see them!"

"Shut up!" I growled, exasperated, "You are lucky- you have Dad's charisma. I got Mom's human shyness."

"But you got Dad's _face!!" _

My eyes widened, and I growled. She had hit my big sore spot. Luckily, we pulled up to the school, climbed out, and went our separate ways, not looking at one another. I headed to my locker, number 121. (Ironic, because that was my Dad's real age.) I grabbed my math and history textbooks from inside, when, suddenly, my cell phone vibrated. It was my best and only close friend, Trevor Jackson.

**Look out- new girl on campus. **he had written.

**Thanks for the update. **I responded, putting my phone on silent. I had about five minutes before first period started, so I put my Ipod's ear buds in my ears and listened to my current favorite song quietly as I walked through the crowded hall, a buzzing hive of aura and talking.

_I used to rule the world; seas would rise when I gave the word_

_Now in the morning I sweep alone,_

_Sweep the streets I used to own…_

"Hey, Anthony." Sarah Branford, another air-headed prep, flirted as I passed her. I half-smiled, another trait my father had given me, and she melted against her locker. I slumped into my seat for first period Algebra 4. The teacher began to take roll, calling out the un-alphabetized names on the list in her usual monotone.

"West."

"Here." a girl named Rachael called from the front row.

"Jackson."

"Here." Trevor called.

"Cullen."

"Here." I called.

After a while, she got to a name I hadn't heard before.

"McClain." she called.

"Present." a girl in the corner called back in a voice like pealing bells. It was beautiful, but, from where I sat, I couldn't see her face- all I could see was her cascading red-brown hair, tied back into a ponytail that reached the middle of her back. The teacher passed out quizzes, and I neatly printed my name in the corner. The first question was, luckily, on the Pythagorean therom. I finished quickly, as usual, and looked back up- the new girl was finished already. The first person in my Algebra 4 class to beat me at finishing an assignment. Wow. I wanted to talk to this girl.

I checked the clock- still 30 minutes left in class, so I reached over and took out my book, _Twilight. _It was an extremely ironic story- a vampire falls in love with a human in the rainy town of Forks, Washington, but, regardless, a very good read. I was halfway done with it by the time the teacher called pencils down.

Some people hadn't finished.

We all lined up to hand in our quizzes; I situated myself at the end of said line. She smiled at me when I handed her my quiz, the confident smile that she always gave me.

"Um, Mrs. Willows?" I asked.

"Yes, Anthony?" she said.

"Could you tell me the new student's name?"

"Of course. Her name is Ann Marie McClain. She's a very sweet girl who just moved here from Nevada- a very bright girl." she said, almost bragging.

I nodded and looked around the room for this Ann Marie- there was no sign of her. She wasn't in my next few classes; bio-chemistry, English, geography. I didn't see her at lunch, mainly because a girl named Libby kept pestering me, her dark curls bouncing, swathed with her cheerleader nature. My afternoon classes passed without another sighting of the mysterious new girl- French, art, and finally, gym.

Gym was, by far, my least favorite class. I had it with Trevor, of course, and it wasn't that I wasn't fit. I was extremely so. I was just…uncomfortable taking my clothes off and showering in front of other guys. I swear, I had, on occasion, caught a few of my classmates checking me out.

We were on the first day of our baseball unit, so we were outside, thank God. I was at bat first- the pitcher threw a fast ball, which I easily hit out of the reach of any and all outfielders. I involuntarily smiled at the sound of the bat meeting the ball, hitting an easy home run. My team cheered me on as I effortlessly crossed all of the bases, giving high fives as I crossed home plate. We won the game, 18-7, mostly thanks to me. My teammates mock-punched me on the arm in congratulations as we all headed to the showers, but, our gym teacher, Mr. Anderson, caught me by the sleeve.

"Cullen, you have skills." he said, unthinkingly using my sisters words, "Ever considered going out for the baseball team?"

"Not really, sir." I lied.

He pulled a manila envelope from under a stack of papers on his clipboard.

"Here." he said, handing it to me, "Get these signed by your parents and be here at 5:30 sharp on the 24th. I have a good feeling that you'll make the team."

I nodded and turned to walk away. On the way into the locker room, I made a move to throw the papers away, but, my fingers would not release the envelope. I just kept thinking about Annabelle's words: _You have skills, but you won't show them to anyone…_

I huffed, shoved the envelope into my backpack, and headed for the showers.

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"Attention, students." our vice-principal, Mr. Willard, said over the intercom as I was towel drying my hair, "due to the absence of Coach Kirshner, whose sister delivered a healthy baby boy last night, there will be no after-school pep rally. You are dismissed to go home right after final bell. Again, no after school pep rally today."

I groaned, catching the attention of several guys.

"What is it, Cullen?" Jacob North, a kid who used too much hair gel, asked.

"Nothing." I said, quickly pulling my shirt over my head, "Annabelle hates it when those retarded things get cancelled, so she should be in a great mood tonight."

They all laughed.

"Hey, man, your sister is a real hottie." Josh Parson commented.

I blushed heavily, a gift from my mother, and grabbed my bag, making my way to my car, unlocking it and sliding in, bracing myself for my twin's wrath. Just for good measure, I pulled the manila envelope with the baseball forms from my bag.

Just then, my passengers side door slammed shut, and she hissed at me for no apparent reason. I held out the envelope, a peace offering and silent 'please don't kill me' plead as I drove off. She snatched it from me and went through all of the forms, a small smile appearing on her lips.

"So, are you going with me to the party?" she asked, hopeful.

"Sure. But only because I love you."

She smiled wider as we pulled up to our house.

"We're home!" I called out. My Mom appeared by my side, my Dad trailing right behind her. I smiled at them and handed my Dad the envelope. He smiled at me after he read all of the papers.

"Baseball- that's my boy." he praised, patting my shoulder. I nodded and Annabelle spoke up.

"So," she said, "there's this party at Jessica's tonight…"

"Have fun." my Mom said, turning to me, "And what are you doing tonight, Anthony?"

"Oh, I'm going with her." I responded.

They both looked shocked, not surprisingly, as I headed up to my room. I dropped my bag onto my bed, quickly finished what little homework I had left from school, and went to get ready. I walked over to my closet, which was half the size of my actual room, and grabbed a black button-up shirt and a white undershirt off of the racks, choosing to wear the same jeans. Before I headed to the bathroom, I texted Trevor.

**Hey, you going to Beeland's party? **I asked.

While I waited for him to respond, I laid my clothes across my large bed and looked around; my bookshelf was almost overflowing with my 'already read' books, my clothes hamper next to it. My large window, blinds shut, was on the wall next to my bed, and my bathroom door was right across my room from my bed. My phone vibrated.

**Yeah- you going?**

I smiled- even Trevor, who knew me better than my own sister, was surprised.

**Yeah- going to take a shower. See you there.**

I put my phone- a Blackberry- on top of my clothes, and turned to go into the bathroom. But, there came a knock on my door. Annabelle peeked in, still in her uniform.

"You mind if we take your car?" she asked.

"No problem." I assured her.

She nodded, and I headed into the bathroom, stripping off my clothes and locking my door behind me. I turned on the hot water with just a bit of cold, and waited for the water to heat up. Suddenly, my clothes started to float around me, circling my head.

"Very funny, Bell." I called to my telekinetic sister. Her laughter rang out in the next room

I climbed into the shower, washing quickly. I climbed out, wrapping a towel around my waist. I wiped the fog off of the large mirror and looked at myself. My fiery emerald eyes were glassy with the relaxing feeling of the shower, my face pale, as usual. Curse my inability to tan. I grabbed another towel and dried my hair, leaving it alone afterwards-my hair was amazingly easy to care for.

I put on some deodorant, smiling at the unused can of AXE that Trevor had given me- I sprayed a little on and pulled my underwear and jeans back on. I strolled out into the room and pulled my shirts on, leaving the button-up open and fixing the collar. After an overview of myself, it was blatantly clear:

I was as ready as I would ever be.

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**A/N- Okay, what do you think? Just in case you were wondering, the whole story won't be in Anthony's point of view- part of it will be Annabelle's, other times, Edward and Bella. The song Anthony was listening to is 'Viva La Vida' by Coldplay, in case you didn't know. ;)**

**I HAD ALMOST 50 REVIEWS AND ALMOST 3000 VIEWS- I HOLD UP MY END OF THE BARGAIN. TWO CHAPTERS POSTED TOMORROW!**


	2. You Know You're A Party Pooper When

**A/N- All right, let's party! (still Anthony's POV)**

**(P.S- They don't live in Forks anymore, but I'm still trying to decide where they are. Give me some time. And, let the record show that I do not own Twilight, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Coldplay…ect.) **

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As I sat in my room, texting Trevor and waiting for Annabelle to get ready (which could take a while- you know how girls are), I was thinking about exactly _what _I was. I guessed that, if you were to come up to any of my classmates in the hall and ask them what they were, they'd answer smartly "I'm human- what are you?"

But, I couldn't use this answer- because I wasn't full human. I was a half human, half vampire freak, a clone of my father. I was undoubtedly a freak because, well, for one, I sensed _aura. _Half the people I know don't even know what an aura is! (In case _you _were wondering, an aura is a force that surrounds all people and objects, a bright, colored glow, but it's only visible to people of unusual psychic sensitivity. Like me.)

Another reason I was defiantly not normal was the fact that I was an immortal human- I would live forever, as my sister would, whenever I reached my maturity age, which is around 20. Plus, I could live on a diet of only blood if need be! How weird is that? Sure, I was stronger, faster, and smarter than your average "human", but, sometimes I just wish that I was…normal. No aura sensing, or living forever. It would be especially nice if I could have my own face…

"Are you ready to go?" Annabelle called through my door, breaking my depressing train of thought.

"Yeah." I called back, responding to Trevor's text and throwing my door open. "Will you grab my keys for me? They're on the counter." I asked as we reached the bottom of the stairs. They floated in front of my face, and I grabbed them from midair.

"Mom! Dad! We're leaving!" Annabelle called, "What time do you want us home?"

"Midnight at the latest." Mom answered.

"Alright."

We headed to the car, me climbing into the drivers seat, and took off. After a few minutes, I just had to ask.

"H-Hey, Bell?" I stammered.

"Yeah?"

I bit my lip. "Do you ever feel like…a freak sometimes? You know, what with the whole telekinetic thing, and the immortality, and being carbon copies of our parents?"

She thought for a minute. "No. Why?"

"Nothing. Hey, what do you know about the new girl?" I asked, changing the subject and knowing that she would fall for it; being a cheerleader, Annabelle loved to gossip.

"Well, there's not much about her on the gossip circuit, except for that she used to live in Vegas."

"Cool." I said, "Anything else?"

"No." she said, smirking as her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "Why? Is she cute? Does Anthony have a crush on the new girl?"

"No!" I blurted immediately, "And if I did, I would have to have a crush on the back of her head, because that's all I've seen of her so far."

"Mm-hm. Sure." she said sarcastically, not believing me. I rolled my eyes as we pulled up to the Beeland's house, where music was already blasting. I found a place to park and we headed up to the door where we were greeted by a very drunk Jessica Beeland.

"Anthony!" she screamed, wrapping her arms around my waist, "I'm so glad you came! You should really have a beer- it's great for unwinding."

"I think I'll pass." I said, hating the way her aura rubbed off on me, making me feel dizzy and nauseous. Annabelle pulled her friend off of me, giving me a look that said _Boy am I glad I don't drink._

I had already had enough of the party scene- there were people making out everywhere you looked, beer cans and bottles strewn everywhere, and the music, though decent, was giving me a migraine. I decided to find somewhere to be alone, dancing through the throng of people as a new, more obnoxious song began.

_Just dance, gonna be okay, da da do do,_

_Just dance, spin that record babe, da da do do…_

I burst through the door onto the patio, grateful for the gasp of air that wasn't loaded with cigarette smoke. I noted that all of the partygoers were inside, killing brain cells by the dozen, so I walked to the edge of the yard and lifted myself onto the brick wall that acted as a fence, looking out over the open pasture that spilled into rolling hills that were bleached white by the moon, flecked with black trees and knee-high patches of grass. I pulled my Ipod from my pocket and stuck the white ear buds into my ears, hearing the first song play softly.

_I'll keep you my dirty little secret,_

_Don't tell anyone or you'll be just another regret…_

"Mind sharing your stoop with me?" a voice rang out suddenly.

I turned my head, surprised, for I thought I was alone. A girl stepped up to me, a book in her grasp. I couldn't really see her (I hadn't inherited the whole 'night vision' thing from Dad).

"Um, sure. Do I know you?" I asked.

"Probably not." she said, pulling herself up.

Just then, her face came into the moonlight, and I could see her clearly.

She was gorgeous. Her oval-shaped face was encrusted with burning hazel eyes and full lips, her petite, tall figure stunning with subtle, feminine curves. Her nose and upper cheekbones were dusted with light brown freckles, and she was actually tanned for someone living around here. I had never seen a girl this beautiful in my entire life.

"I'm Ann Marie McClain." she said as she stuck her hand out to me. Ah, I recognized her hair now- somewhat the bronze color of mine, but darker.

"Err, Anthony Cullen." I said, shaking her hand. Her aura was beautiful, too- warm, friendly, a pale lavender/blue/green color. Like a strange Easter egg- I had never seen such an aura.

"Yes, I recognize you- you're in my Algebra 4 class." she smiled.

I swallowed hard; this was where being almost a complete loner did _not _come in handy. The only girls I had ever talked to were in my family, and that was not as often as I would like to talk to her. I realized that I was staring blatantly at her, and she was blushing, her eyes darting around uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry." I said, looking for something to talk about- she was shaking, I noticed.

"Are you cold? Don't you have a jacket?" I asked.

"Yeah, but it's inside." she said, rubbing her arms for friction, "And I don't think that I want to brave the madhouse again."

"Would you like to use mine?"

"Um, you don't have one on, either." she said shyly.

I looked down- that's right. I wasn't. _Oh, nice, Dr. Smooth. _I thought, smacking myself mentally. There's one thing I wish that I _had _inherited from my father- he always knew exactly what to say.

"Well, you can wear this," I said, trying to hide the obvious blush on my pale skin as I pulled off my black over shirt, "it's not much, but, it'll do."

"Thanks." she said as she pulled it on. Just then the song 'Love Story', by Taylor Swift came on the speakers in the house. She surprised me by singing softly along with the music in her angelic voice.

_We were both young when I first saw you,_

_I close my eyes and the flashback starts,_

_I'm standing there, on a balcony in summer air,_

_I see the lights, see the party the ball gowns,_

_See you make your way through the crowd and say hello…_

"Every girl knows the lyrics to this song." she defended when I stared at her again.

"No, that's not it," I said disbelievingly, "you have an amazing voice."

She blushed. "You're just saying that."

"No I'm not." I assured her, "You'd give Taylor Swift a run for her money if you ever got the chance."

Her blush deepened from a delicate, cotton candy pink to a bright red color, making her tanned skin seem to pale from the loss of blood. We chatted for a while, just getting acquainted. She had come from south Vegas, was an only child, and lived with her father on the other side of town from me- her mother had passed away whenever she was six. We exchanged phone numbers, and I told her about my family (only saying that my grandfather was a doctor and so forth- not that they were vampires), plus the fact that I had a tendency to be shy.

"So am I," she said, "my Dad worries that I'm strange- I only have a few close friends. I can survive being alone."

"That's exactly how I feel." I said. We stared at each other for the longest time, not saying anything, when Annabelle's voice broke our companionable silence.

"Anthony!" she called, "We need to go!"

I looked at my phone. "It's only 11:00." I said.

She gave me and odd glance. "I know, but Derrick Granger keeps following me around and trying to force feed me a cigarette." she said.

I sighed and turned to Ann Marie.

"I'll see you tomorrow." I said as she tried hand me my shirt back.

"You keep it. I'll get it from you tomorrow." I assured her. She nodded.

"Bye, Anthony." she said, smiling a small, private smile at me.

"Bye." I said as I walked off. As soon as we were in my car, Annabelle started in.

"What was that?" she demanded, "Did you kiss her? Did you ask her out?"

I took a deep breath. "Nothing, no, and no." I said, answering all three of her questions in less than five words. She kept pestering me as we pulled up to the house. I refused to talk to her, for she would take any minusculedetail I gave her and run with it. I greeted my parents after I put the Mercedes in the garage and headed straight up to my room. Suddenly, my phone went off- my hands shook when I was who the text was from;

Ann Marie.

**Miss me yet? ;)**

My hands trembled so hard as I typed my response that I had to erase the whole thing and re-type it fresh.

_**Yes, very. I miss your interesting conversation. **_

**Your uncle hasn't put green dye in your hair gel lately, has he???**

I laughed- I had told her the story about whenever I was thirteen, and was in a hair-gel craze. Emmett thought it would be funny to slip a little green hair dye into my bottle of gel- fortunately, he was considerate enough to do it during summer break, and it was temporary.

_**Coast is clear- I don't even use the stuff anymore.**_

**Good- it's not good for our environment, you know.**

_**I do now. ;)**_

"Who are you talking to?" my Dad asked teasingly, appearing, as he always did, out of thin air.

Talk about your near-fatal accident.

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EPOV

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"God, Dad!" Anthony gasped, dropping his cell phone onto the floor, "Give me a heart attack, why don't you?"

I smiled, sitting on the edge of his bed, listening to his pulse beat erratically in his chest- like I had caught him masturbating, or something of the sorts.

"So," I said, handing him his phone, "I have a few questions. Who is Ann Marie?"

"H-How did you know about that?" he asked, not looking at me.

"It's all you've been thinking about since you came into my line of…vision."

He groaned, pulling a pillow over his face, blushing.

"So, is she the reason for your sudden interest in the baseball team?" I asked, pulling away said pillow.

"Da-ad! No!"

His thoughts weren't lying, so he must be telling me the truth. I kept getting images of the same dark-haired girl, tall, curvy, freckled nose. She _was _quite pretty for a human.

"She is pretty, son." I said. His ears turned red.

"I'm sorry." I chuckled, "When your mother and I got together at first, and even before that, everyone in our family loved to tease me about it. I guess I'm just taking my opportunity to do the same thing."

He waited for a moment, letting the blush fade from his cheeks and ears, before he looked at me.

"She's the new girl at school. We started talking at the party- she's amazing." he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

I chuckled again and kissed his forehead. "I'm always here if you want to talk. Goodnight, son." I said.

I made my way to his door and threw it open, but stopped to turn back to him and say;

"Oh, and Anthony? Word of advice- never offer a girl your jacket if you don't have one on."

"Mo-om!" he yelled.

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**A/N- The next chapter will be up a little later. Lots of drama coming up.**


	3. A New Arrangement In Seating

**A/N- Two chapters posted in one day. I'd say that that deserves a prize. Anybody got a cookie or some Easter candy you'd be willing to spare?**

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APOV (Annabelle's Point Of View)

"7:15!" my Mom called from downstairs. I grabbed my backpack- a super cute messenger bag- and my binder from on top of my desk, looking around my room one last time. My bed was neatly made, the paisley bedspread stretched tight over the mattress. My posters of Pete Wentz, Zac Efron, Taylor Lautner, and Rob Pattinson were all looking gorgeous, as usual. My Dad didn't really appreciate the poster of Rob, saying that it kinda looked like him. I didn't agree at all.

I blew a kiss at my pom poms and shut my door, turning to waltz down the hallway, making my dramatic entrance to the kitchen, rocking my denim skirt, Converse, and graphic tee. Around my neck, I wore long, rainbow, costume jewelry beads, and I had the cutest hair band in my chocolate curls. My nails were painted rainbow colors- red to blue on each hand and foot, and my ears were pierced with medium sized hoops. I grabbed my mango juice and toast off of the counter, choked them down, and kissed my Dad on the cheek.

"Bye, Daddy- don't forget, we're cheering at the basketball game on Friday. You promised you'd come." I said.

"Of course, darling." he said, hugging me.

"Daddy's girl." Anthony coughed. Just then, Mom kissed his forehead and pinched his cheek.

"Have a good day!" she cooed.

"Momma's boy." I coughed right back.

He rolled his eyes at me and swallowed the rest of his morning orange juice. We left, and I noticed that he seemed extremely detached from the world, this gimpy smile on his distracted face.

"So," I asked, "thinking about kissing Ann Marie, cowboy?"

He snapped to attention immediately, his face reddening. "No!" he said in that way a guy does, telling me that he was lying.

"Okay," I said, "if you're not thinking about kissing her, than you must be thinking about…"

"Eww! No!" he exclaimed.

We pulled up to the school and I headed to the gym for a pep meeting of the squad to discuss our routines for the basketball game on Friday.

I had no idea what I was going to miss.

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APOV

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I scooted eagerly into the Algebra room, reading the announcement on the board- "New Seating Arrangement". I took my seat, but kept my bag and binder in my lap. Ann Marie walked in then, a vision of true beauty in a midnight blue, button-up top with sleeves that stopped at her elbow. Lace adorned the v neck of the top, leading down to a frothy white skirt, grey leggings, and silver ballet flats. Her long curls fell freely down her back, but her bangs were pinned away from her face with a white, heart-shaped barrette. Her bag was slung over her arm, and she read the announcement for herself.

She looked over at me, and I smiled at her. She waved at me and took her seat- Mrs. Willows told us all to come to the front of her room- I stood next to Ann Marie and flashed my famous crooked smile at her.

"Hi." she whispered, looking up at me with stars in her eyes.

"Hi." I whispered back.

"Anthony." Mrs. Willows called, pointing to a seat in the front row. I winked at Ann Marie and sat down in my new seat.

"Ann Marie." Mrs. Willows said, pointing at the seat next to me.

"Yes!" I hissed quietly.

Or, so I thought.

"Yes what?" Ann Marie asked as she sat down.

I blushed and looked down quickly. "Nothing." I muttered. Trevor looked at me curiously and then ripped a sheet of paper from his notebook, scribbling on it like mad. Mrs. Willows pointed to his seat…behind me. He tossed the note onto my desk as he passed.

**You hittin that????? **it read.

I turned around to look disbelievingly at him, mouthing 'No' obviously. He shot me a cocky grin, and class began. Ann Marie kept her eyes and ears on Mrs. Willows, taking intricate notes on today's lecture. I however, kept my eyes on Ann Marie, my own notes sketchy. I just kept getting swept up in staring at her, her full lips moving as she mouthed the words to a song that I couldn't identify.

Mrs. Willows let us talk for five minutes before class ended, so Trevor pulled me into the corner.

"You seriously aren't hitting that?" he demanded, "You are such a flirt!"

"I've only known her for a few days!" I defended, "I would not have sex with a girl I haven't known that long!"

"But you want to." he smiled.

I sighed, but didn't answer him.

"Are you going to ask her out?" he asked.

I didn't answer him again; I was too busy watching Kyle Mock circle Ann Marie threateningly. She looked nervous, winging her hands, but her face was angry and determined. I walked past Trevor, my temper bubbling under my skin. Once I got close enough, I could hear both of them.

"Aww, come on, baby." Kyle said in his slight Southern accent, "Just one date."

"No, Kyle." she said firmly.

"I'm not gonna bite you, baby. Unless you're into that sort of thing." he said, "Now, why won't you go out with me?"

"Because," Ann Marie responded curtly, "you are a complete male chauvinistic pig."

"A what now?" he asked angrily, grabbing her arm.

I grabbed his arm and pulled her behind me- she went willingly. He was messing with _my _Ann Marie.

"Anthony, my man." Kyle said.

"Leave her alone, Kyle. She said no." I growled.

He laughed at me. He actually had the gall to laugh at me. "Like she would go out with you, either. If she won't go out with a stud like me, what makes you think that she would go out with a shy nerd like you?"

Again, no answer on my part…because I had taken what he had said to heart. Because it was true. I dropped her arm and went back to my desk, my face angry and grave. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, adding shame to my depression as I grabbed my bag and stuffed my binder in.

Ann Marie came up behind me.

"Don't listen to him, Anthony." she said, putting her arm on my shoulder, "He's a jerk. He thinks he's hot stuff, but he is so wrong. I would rather date Penn Stevenson than him."

I laughed- Penn Stevenson was the school's main Goth kid, famous for cutting himself in front of his only girlfriend.

"Thanks." I said.

She nodded, and the bell rang. I will admit it -not proudly-…I stared at her butt as she left the room.

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FRIDAY NIGHT, STILL APOV

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"Let's go, Coyotes!" Annabelle yelled enthusiastically on the basketball court.

The game hadn't even begun yet, and the cheerleaders were already on pep crack. They screamed and flipped and threw each other around. The audience screamed back and pounded their feet in the bleachers. The parents and the students were separated, because of some strange school tradition. I had guarded the seat next to me on the bench with my life, keeping my eyes on the door. She had promised me that she would be here. The home and opposing teams were announced; I checked the door one more time before looking back at my parents, who were six rows back, the front of the parents section. Just then, I heard the door open- she stepped in, donning the same magnificent outfit that she had been wearing to school. She scanned the bleachers, looking for somewhere to sit. I raised my hand at her…as did five other guys, who were also saving a seat for her.

The first one was Johnny Palpates, a football jock with straight C's on his report card. The second, Chris Anderson, band nerd- notorious for getting his braces caught in the mouthpiece of his clarinet. The third guy to raise his hand for her was Jackson Roderick, a guy that everyone knew was bisexual. Fourth was Stephen Niland, one of Penn Stevenson's friends. Enough said. The last one was Robert Headsman, another football jock with straight B's. Not a bad guy…good enough to be considered an enemy.

These same five guys had all asked her out before the final bell rang today.

She caught sight of me and raised her hand in response, smiling brightly. She climbed the stairs slowly, passing Chris, Johnny, and Jackson. Their hands fell, as did their faces. She passed Stephen, but turned her body to look at Robert- my heart stopped. She spoke to him for a minute, and he smiled and patted the seat next to him; she shook her head and pointed at me- I wanted desperately to hear what she was saying to him, but the crowd was getting to loud.

She turned to me and smiled, making her way to sit down next to me, her warm aura enveloping me.

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hey." I said back.

She turned her attention to the game, and I inhaled deeply; she smelled like roses.

The first half of the game passed, and the Coyotes were up 17-6, feeding my sisters spirit; it was obvious in her aura. I turned to my Dad, caught his attention, and thought; _Someone must have spiked Annabelle's water bottle. She acts like she's on crack._

He laughed loudly and turned his head to tell my mother- she flashed me 'the look', and I laughed.

"What?" Ann Marie asked, watching intently as Annabelle did a series of flips.

"Nothing."

I watched my sister as well, observing as the whole squad formed some strange pyramid, a blonde, male cheerleader by the name of Chad Burks at the bottom as Annabelle was lifted to the top. Chad was Belle's new boyfriend, and everyone knew about it…except for my Dad. Somehow, my mother and sister had managed to keep it from him. Poor soul.

The music pumped, Rhianna's 'Please Don't Stop The Music', and the crowd cheered. Annabelle took a deep breath, and the squad dropped her.

Oh no.

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EPOV, A FEW MINUTES PRIOR

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"Look at Anthony's face." I whispered to Bella as the girl, Ann Marie, sat next to him on the bleachers.

"Aww," she cooed.

"I know. He really likes her. It may even be love, in it's early stages, that is."

"What's her name?"

"Ann Marie." I said.

She smiled emotionally. "Our babies are growing up, Edward." she whispered.

"I know. It's just like yesterday that Anthony was pulling women's shirts off of them and Annabelle was pulling the tabs on her diaper off."

She laughed, and we turned our attention to the court- the half time show was starting. Annabelle was lifted onto a tall stack of people, her smile wide as she looked at me. Some young, blonde punk at the bottom of the pyramid was trying to look pointlessly up her skirt.

They hoisted her up, and dropped her.

The blonde kid missed, and she landed on her ankle on the mat- I heard a 'pop' and was out of my seat before she started screaming. Bella, Anthony and I all reached the mat before the medical staff, and I grabbed Annabelle into my arms, carrying her bridal style to the car.

"What kind of boyfriend doesn't catch his girlfriend when she's thirteen feet up in the air?" she wailed.

"_Boyfriend??"_ I asked.

She just began to cry. Anthony bid a quick goodbye to Ann Marie and we all climbed in, Bella and I in the front, Anthony holding Annabelle in the backseat.

"My daughter has a boyfriend?!?" I demanded quietly as we sped off.

"Let's talk about it at the hospital." Bella said, grabbing my hand.

You bet we would.

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**A/N- ;)**


	4. 100 Ways To Embarrass Yourself On A Date

**A/N- Okay, from now on, Anthony will be ANPOV and Annabelle will be ABPOV. Ann Marie will be AMPOV, AND Alice will be APOV. Thanks for the idea!**

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A FEW HOURS AFTERWARDS, ANPOV

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I had gone to sit in the waiting area, getting a severe headache from listening to Annabelle whine about her ankle. My Mom and Dad stayed behind, holding her hands and giving her encouraging words while the doctors wrapped her hardly sprained ankle up. I looked around at the ancient magazines and coloring books that were way past their prime; these things gave your average waiting room it's 'I am never going to get out of here' feel.

Suddenly, the nurse at the reception desk called out to me.

"Mr. Cullen, there's a young woman here looking for you!"

I peered around the corner, and Ann Marie looked directly ay me. She walked up to me, her face worried.

"Anthony, is she alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, she hardly sprained her ankle. They're wrapping her up in the office as we speak."

"Good." she said.

"I'll tell you what, though," I chuckled, "she certainly didn't sprain her mouth."

She laughed loudly, turning several heads, and made a move to sit next to me.

"Um, we're gonna be here for a while." I said.

"Oh, that's fine." she shrugged, taking a seat, "I told my Dad that that was probably going to be the case."

"Okay…" I said cautiously, hoping, praying that I was awake and not dreaming. Just then, my phone went off.

**Fwd: Senior Activities Week (SAW) tickets are on sale now! Yes, one month from now, we amazing people of the senior class will be chilling for an entire week! Be sure to get your tickets now!**

"Hmm," I said, "Senior Activities Week tickets are on sale."

"What's Senior Activities Week?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

I smiled at her. "The last week of May, all of the seniors that bought tickets do an activity a day for a week. But, they aren't lame activities. Though they have been the same for five years, they're still fun." "What are the activities?" she questioned, a look of genuine wonder on her face.

"On Monday we all go to the water park in Salina." I explained, "Tuesday, it's an arranged food fight in the cafeteria. On Wednesday, it's always ice skating, and on Thursday we all watch a movie in the gym. But, Friday is always the favorite."

I paused, smiling at the glazed look of wonder in her eyes.

"Friday the seniors are excused from classes, and, that night, they have a lock in and we all sleep at the school. We run around in our pajamas and goof off, and I hear that it's fun, but I also hear that they are always a few chaperones short, so, someone always manages to get a little hanky panky going. About ten years ago, there was a child conceived at the lock in."

Her eyes widened, and I nodded, feeling like a gossipy girl.

"And, as you probably know, that night is the senior prom." I finished.

She nodded.

"I believe I heard _something _about prom in the past few days." she said, trying to seem nonchalant.

"How many guys have tried to reserve you so far?" I asked, my tone teasing, but, I honestly wanted to know.

"Four." she said, blushing.

I smiled at her. "So…?" I asked.

"So what?"

"Did you say yes to any of them?"

"No."

And that was the end of that discussion.

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THREE HOURS LATER

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"Okay, okay." Ann Marie said, laughing as she waved her hands, "Would you rather smoke pot and come home high, or drink tequila and come him drunk?"

I bit my lip; we were playing a game of 'Would You Rather…" to entertain ourselves.

"My parents would figure it out and I would be dead anyway, so I have to go with the pot." I said- we both cracked up, and were shushed by the nurse.

"Sorry," we both whispered.

Suddenly, her phone went off in her pocket, a high-pitched, polyphonic ring tone that irritated me to no end. She looked at the screen and frowned, responded to the text message, and stood.

"I have to go, my Dad wants me to come home." she said apologetically, grabbing her purse, a big bag that looked heavy, "Can you walk me to my car?"

"Sure." I grinned.

We walked through the big glass doors, not looking at one another, and made our way to her car- a very nice BMW. She unlocked the door, and, before she climbed in, I swallowed my pride.

"Um, Ann Marie?" I asked, my knees shaking.

"Yes?"

"Um, would you like to…go on a date with me sometime?"

She smiled. "Sure, Anthony." she said, "I'd love to."

"Of course, I can understand if- wait, what?" I asked, not sure I had heard her correctly.

"I'd love to go on a date with you." she repeated, "How about tomorrow? Seven o'clock?"

"Umm," I answered, "That sounds good. I will see you then."

She nodded and sped off; I watched her taillights disappear around a corner, smiling to myself. She said yes! But wait- she had been asked out so many times since she had first arrived, and had turned down all of them- jocks, preps, band geeks, and Goths alike. Why would she say yes to me, when I was just plain old, nerdy Anthony Cullen? Perhaps she had a crush on me…

_Don't flatter yourself. _my sensible side ordered sternly as I wandered back inside. I was still on cloud nine as I went to take my seat again, running into my father on my way there.

"What are you smiling about?" he demanded, grinning like a Cheshire cat himself.

"Nothing. Just that I got a date with Ann Marie McClain tomorrow night…" I trailed off.

His smile widened into that of your traditional proud father. "That's my boy!" he said, punching me on the arm. I smiled at him, plotting out every aspect of our date in my mind and praying that I would get a goodnight kiss…until I remembered that my father was hearing everything. He smiled at me, and I began to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in my head, over and over again.

"No, no," he assured me, "I'm rooting for you."

I rolled my eyes at him.

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THE NEXT NIGHT, STILL ANPOV

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"Alright," I breathed to my parents and sister as they sat on the couch, "I'm off."

"Have fun." my Mom smiled, casting my Dad a content look.

"Yes, be polite, though." my father reminded gently.

"Use a condom!" Annabelle called after me as I shut the door.

I rolled my eyes, but still blushed as I sped down the winding drive, hidden by trees and thick moss until I reached the highway, a good three miles from the house. I stopped for a minute, double-checking the address she had texted me, and headed that way, keeping my speed adequately low- due to the fact that my nerves were shot and there was a nervous lump in my throat the size of an apple. I turned on to her street, watching the house numbers, looking for number 1478. My heart was thump-thump-thumping in my chest, and I bit my lower lip. 1476...1477...1478.

I parked in front of the house- a large yet cozy Victorian style house, painted white with pale blue shutters. A wraparound porch adorned the front, a screen door covering a large, solid door, painted a bright red color. Lights glowed, a soft yellow-orange color- in most of the windows. I rang the doorbell, hearing the chime echo through the house. Light footsteps padded down the stairs, and Ann Marie called out to her father, telling him goodbye.

Then, the door opened, and there she was, shining in all of her angelic glory. She wore a denim mini skirt with black leggings, the familiar silver flats on her feet. A vintage t-shirt hugged her curves- 'Make Love, Not War' it read. I felt my ears redden as I read it, and noticed the deep yellow wooden beads around her throat. Her hair was down, her red-brown curls spilling down her back- her bangs were being held away from her beautiful face with a large headband, which was red with white polka-dots. She was, as usual, a vision of beauty.

"Hi," she breathed.

I smiled at her. "Hello- are you ready to go."

She nodded, seeming eager. I helped her to the car, holding her door open for her.

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AMPOV

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All I could think of as Anthony and I sped away was how great he looked- his thick, bronze locks were casually disarrayed, his fiery emerald eyes alive with sparks of an almost gold color. He wore a grey-white cotton t-shirt under his dark grey jacket, and his usual dark jeans. His firm, square jaw was locked as he stared at the rear view mirror. God, he was so handsome. I didn't even know why he had asked me out, for he was so gorgeous, and I was…not. My eyes were too big for my face, my cheeks and nose speckled with mud-colored freckles that looked like I had been splattered with mud. The very idea that he had a crush on me made me laugh at myself- this was probably just a pity date anyway, and the thought of that depressed me to a tremendous degree.

"So," he began, seeming nervous for some odd reason, "how's school been going for you?"

"Nice," I answered, "everyone has been so welcoming to me."

He nodded, but, mumbled something that sounded like "…especially the guys."

I felt my cheeks redden.

"What's your favorite class?" he asked.

"Art." I answered automatically.

"Why?"

"I've just been good at art since I was little." I said, not wanting to brag. I just kept picturing the interpreted mural of Van Gough's _Starry Night_ painted on my bedroom wall at home. We pulled up to a small restaurant and he climbed out of the car quickly; I took a deep breath and prepared to follow him, but then, someone yanked my door open. I jumped, but relaxed when I saw that it was Anthony. He smiled at me as he helped me out of the Mercedes and to the door. We were seated-by a waitress who was a little _too _nice to Anthony- in the back of the restaurant, in a very private booth.

I did what any sensible girl would do- I ordered a salad, but a chicken tender salad, so that I actually got something to eat. Most guys dig a girl with a hearty appetite anyway. We made small talk as we waited for our food, noshing nonchalantly on bread and water. He asked about school some more, the different places I'd been and wanted to go, had I had any pets in the past, and had I lived any other places than Vegas?

Just then, our waitress sat our food in front of us, winking at Anthony as she walked away. I took a big bite of my salad, tasting the chunks of chicken; he sucked up a few of his spaghetti noodles, the longest one hitting the tip of his nose and leaving a spot of red pasta sauce. I giggled.

"What?" he asked, smiling.

I pointed at his nose, and he wiped it off with his napkin, blushing slightly.

A while later, I made a move to grab my water and knocked my purse to the floor, spilling my stuff all over the floor. I cussed under my breath and lowered myself onto my knees, collecting the three loose tampons before he could see them. He got onto the floor himself, gathering up my phone, keys, and a pack of gum, handing them to me with a small smile that made my knees shake. Then, he grabbed for my pocket-sized edition of _Van Gough: A History in Tales._

"Van Gough?" he questioned as we got back up.

I nodded shyly, blushing slightly. "He was such a great, troubled artist." I said.

"I haven't read much about him. Care to enlighten me?" he asked.

"What do you know so far?"

"Not much, just that he cut off his own ear."

"Yes," I said, "he was a manic-depressive, and one day, he and a partner he had been working with had a fight, and he tossed a pallet knife at the partner- in his manic state, of course. It didn't hit him, let alone hurt him, yet, Van Gough felt so terrible about it when he reached his depressive state that he cut off his own earlobe in repent."

"Ouch," Anthony said, grabbing his left ear.

"Yeah." I finished, tossing my wadded-up napkin onto my plate.

"Ready to go?" he asked. I nodded, grabbing my purse from the table.

About ten minutes later, we arrived at the movie theater- he opened my door for me again, and covered me from the rain that was beginning to fall. We made it into the brightly lit cinema hall. He ran his hand through his hair, loosening the crystals of water. We decided on seeing _The Messengers_, something I had wanted to see for a while. We found our seats on the left side of the theater, up in the top rows, which were enveloped in darkness. The previews started to play, and we settled in.

Just then, there was a tap on my shoulder.

Anthony and I turned to see a young girl, no older than thirteen. She had dark, extremely curly hair, tanned skin, and black eyes. She wore a blue shirt and yellow beads, her full lips pouty.

"Just to let you know," she said, "I came here to watch the movie, not to watch you two make out. So, if you're gonna do that, go sit somewhere else."

I laughed quietly. "Don't worry about it." I said gently.

"Yeah, we'll take it somewhere else." Anthony assured, winking at me. I gulped, and the movie began. I only half-watched the opening murder scene; a mother slaughtered in a bedroom, a daughter dragged into the basement. I was too busy imagining Anthony and I, as the girl had put it, making out- lips locked, our tongues tasting one another, his hands all over me, touching me in places I had never been touched before…

I snapped out of it pretty quickly, turning back to the screen, watching the fields of sunflowers rolling past the rickety old house. After a while, Anthony shifted in his seat and pulled the famous "move"- stretching his arms over his head, resting one of them on the back of my chair, his hand curving to hold my shoulder and pull me closer to him. He was very smooth- if I hadn't been watching him intently out of the corner of my eye, I probably wouldn't have noticed him put his arm around me. I leaned over a little, resting against his broad chest and taking in the smell of him- he wore a cologne that I couldn't identify. It wasn't AXE, or that American Eagle stuff that most guys wore. Maybe it wasn't even cologne…

The movie came to an end, and I grabbed my purse once more, he, his jacket. We made it out of the theater and into the lobby; I watched the girl run through the door into the rain, waving good-bye to me. I waved back and turned to Anthony.

"Wow," I said, "it's really pouring now."

He cast a glance out the clear glass doors and handed me his jacket.

"You might need this." he said as we headed to the door. The wind whipped at my long hair, and, despite his jacket (which smelled exactly like him), I still got drenched, as did he. We slid into the Mercedes, our butts squeaking against the black leather interior. He smiled at me and navigated safely onto my street, parking in front of my house, turning to me. I unbuckled my seatbelt; he did not wear his. I slid his jacket off of my shoulders, taking one last whiff of the amazing scent.

"I had a lot of fun," I said shyly, "we'll have to do this again."

"Defiantly." he agreed shockingly.

We were unconsciously leaning in closer to one another, our faces and more importantly our mouths, getting nearer and nearer to the other. Our lips hovered an inch from each other, both of our breathing ragged; his Adam's apple bobbed. And then…he pressed his full lips to mine, just once. When he pulled away, he looked at me, and surged forward. I knotted my hands into his hair, and he pulled me closer to him, our chests touching. I whimpered a little, and he grunted. His tongue traced my lips, tasting mine in the same fashion that I had fantasized about.

I pried our mouths apart, lightheaded, my mind fogged with the sweetness of his breath. He looked at me; I looked at him before fumbling for the door handle and throwing it open. I ran to my door and looked back- the windows of his car were fogged up from our heavy breathing. I shut the door and slumped against the inside, feeling like I had just ridden the Vomit Comet at _Adventureland _three times in a row.

Boy, was I going to have some interesting dreams tonight.

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**A/N-Just a few notes:**

**The girl at the theater is me. That's what I actually look like, and I have told people that at the movies before. I'm not a big fan of PDA at the movies.**

_**The Messengers **_**and **_**Adventureland **_**both star Kristen Stuart who, as we all now, plays Bella in our beloved **_**Twilight**_**.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. ;) Anthony and Ann Marie are so obviously in love that it isn't even funny anymore, but, is Ann Marie all she appears to be in Anthony's eyes: innocent, quiet, and shy? **


	5. Stomach Flu And Dinner With The Family

**A/N- For once in my writing career, I am at a loss for words that make up an authors note…**

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ANPOV

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I stared after Ann Marie as she dashed to her front door, dodging in and out of the drops of rain before closing the door, leaving me sitting there, breathing heavily as I tasted her strawberry flavored lip gloss on my tongue. Her scent hung in the air enclosed in the smallness of my car, and, after I had pinched myself to ensure that what had just happened was _not _a dream or a figment of my imagination, I smiled to myself. After a moment, I drove slowly off of her street, on cloud nine as I turned into our driveway. I parked the Mercedes next to my sisters Porsche, pulled the keys from the ignition, and walked slowly through the pouring rain into the house.

The whole family was waiting for me.

My grandfather and grandmother were seated on the couch, Annabelle between them, her leg stretched out in front of her, her crutches in her lap. My Mom and Dad sat on one of the loveseats, holding hands. My uncle Jasper and aunt Alice sat on the other loveseat, staring at me, while uncle Emmett and aunt Rosalie sat on the floor.

"No need to tell us how it went," my Dad began, "your face says it all."

"Yeah," uncle Emmett said, waggling his eyebrows suggestively, "judging by your facial expression, you two skipped dinner and went straight to dessert."

My face immediately snapped from it's usual, cool pale to a burning crimson. My Mom and Dad hissed, and I moved to sit down next to my parents. My Mom kissed my cheek, and the questions started.

"What did you go to see?"

"What did she order?"

"You didn't make an idiot of yourself, did you?"

And then, the most easily answered question came. The one most anticipated.

"Did you get that goodnight kiss that you were hoping for?" my Dad asked, his tone and face smug.

I just nodded, smiling my own smug grin. I took in a few more complaints and questions before telling everyone goodnight and heading for the stairs, feeling that someone was going to stop me with one more embarrassing question.

"Hey Anthony," my Mom called as soon as I had set foot on the first step, "why don't you bring her to dinner? I would love to meet her."

I winced at the thought of bringing Ann Marie into this madhouse- what with Emmett being such a perv, and Jasper with his fading… issues with humans. It could be dangerous for her. I shut the door quietly behind me and dug out my flannel pajama pants from my dresser, pulling my clothes off and tossing them into my laundry basket before climbing under my sheets, deciding to sleep shirtless. After only a few minutes of the deep thought that always put me down, sleep claimed me, pulling me into the soft blackness.

**. . .**

_A sultry voice rings out in the night, calling my name. My angel is suddenly hovering over me on my bed, sliding my pajama bottoms down my legs; she is naked. Her warm entrance hovers over me, and then…_

_She sinks down._

**. . .**

I sat up abruptly, pouring sweat, my breathing heavy as I recalled my extremely erotic dream. I looked at the clock; 2:17 in the morning. I flopped back down onto my pillows, sighing. It was then that I noticed the tent in the sheets; I was hard.

_Oh my God. _I thought, staring at the bulge. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying to…calm myself down. Not to mention resisting the urge to masturbate.

Monday morning, I looked in the mirror as I got ready for school; there were dark circles under my eyes, and my face was paler than usual. My stomach was hissing at me-not growling, but hissing. My hands shook, and I pulled my shirt on and grabbed my bag from my desk chair. I stumbled down the stairs, ten minutes late- I shook my head at my usual toast-and-orange juice breakfast, earning my mothers worried look.

"Are you okay?" she asked, pressing her cold hand to my forehead.

I nodded and turned to Annabelle. "Are you ready to go?" I asked weakly.

She hesitated. "Maybe you shouldn't go to school." she said.

I rolled my eyes. "I am fine. Let's just…go."

We took off, my driving less than perfect today, for I was extremely dizzy. When I slumped into my seat for first period Algebra 4, Trevor patted me on the back.

"Hey, you okay, man?" he asked.

I nodded weakly.

"I have a question to ask you."

I nodded again.

"Should I…ask Rachael West out?" he asked, his tone worried sounding.

I shrugged my shoulders.

Just then, I heard Ann Marie sit down in her seat; I sat up, ignoring the feeling that I just might vomit at any moment. She smiled at me, and I tried to return it. When I broke into a sudden coughing fit, she got that same look my Mom always did.

"I feel like crap." I groaned.

"I'm sorry." she whispered.

Class began; I couldn't make it ten minutes in. My stomach was in knots, and I was covered in a sheen layer of sweat. Mrs. Willows noticed immediately.

"Anthony, are you alright?" she asked, moving to stand in front of my desk. I nodded again.

"I'm just fine, Mrs. Willows." I said.

She felt my forehead. "No, you aren't. Would anyone volunteer to take him to the nurse's office?"

All of the girls in the room immediately raised their hands.

"Ann Marie, dear, would you take him?" Mrs. Willows asked.

She nodded and grabbed my arm-I picked up my bag and followed her out, and we headed toward the nurses office. The nurse took my temperature, which came out as 102.3°. She told me that I needed to go home, and that I probably shouldn't drive. She asked if I wanted her to call my parents.

"No, I'll drive him." Ann Marie volunteered. I smiled at her as the secretary wrote me a leave permit, and we made our way to the parking lot. We decided (_she _decided- I was too weak to argue) to take her car- she sped along, her hand on mine as we made each nauseating twist and turn. We pulled up to my house, and she kissed my cheek once before I climbed out. I stumbled inside and collapsed on the couch, too tired to even consider climbing the stairs to my room.

"My baby!" my mother cried worriedly, feeling my face again. I groaned, feeling my stomach roll. I threw myself from the couch, and managed to make it to the bathroom before I blew chunks. My father cringed, and called my grandfather at the hospital- he said that he would be on his way soon. My Mom brought me a change of clothes-pajamas that felt like they had been refrigerated; I was burning up. Everything, even the hot pack I was given to soothe my aching muscles, felt cool against my skin.

I stared at the clock- first period would be ending now. And, surprisingly, despite the fact that I was terribly and obviously ill, I still missed Ann Marie. I missed her smile, her laughter, that cute way she bit her thumbnail whenever she was in deep thought. I was given a glass of ice water and a bucket, just in case. My grandfather examined me and diagnosed me with a very severe case of the stomach flu with a slight cold. The day passed slowly, with me falling in and out of consciousness- sweat covered my body in a slick, sheen layer, dampening my hair and forehead.

I looked at the clock again; 2:55. School was out. I sighed and fell back into the pillows, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. There was a very interesting documentary about paranormal investigations was on Discovery Channel, so I took a swig of my water and settled in for a little while.

Then, there was a knock on the door.

"I've got it." I called.

"No, you don't." my Dad answered, hand on the doorknob before I could even get up. He opened the door, and, to my horror, I caught a glimpse of long, dark-bronze hair. Oh no.

"Hello." my father said welcomingly, smiling a non-threatening smile.

"Anthony?" Ann Marie asked, confused, "I thought you were sick. Or are you just that good of an actor?"

Dad laughed. "No, I am Edward, Anthony's father. And you are…?" he asked, though I knew that he already recognized her.

"Ann Marie McClain." she answered, reaching out to shake his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cullen."

"Please, call me Edward. And the pleasure is all mine."

She smiled, and he invited her in. She stepped in, and spotted me laying helplessly on the couch. She came to sit next to me, pulling my head into her lap and brushing my hair away from my face.

"You might want to be careful, my dear." my father warned, "He's very contagious right now." He turned to call for my mother, and Ann Marie kissed my forehead quickly, though probably not escaping my Dad's notice. Mom appeared next to me, taking in my head resting in Ann Marie's tiny lap.

"You must be Ann Marie." she said, smiling a motherly smile.

She nodded and extended her hand again. They shook.

"I'm Isabella, Anthony's mother. But, you can call me Bella." my Mom said warmly. Ann Marie nodded again and re-focused her attention to me again.

"Are you alright?" she asked, stroking my cheek, "Is there anything I can do? Anything I can get for you?"

I shook my head. "I feel much better than I did." I said, though it wasn't entirely true; I only felt better because she was here.

"Is there anything _I _can get _you_?" my Mom asked Ann Marie. She bit her lip. "Really, it's no trouble at all."

"A glass of water?" Ann Marie asked.

My parents nodded and walked to the kitchen, disappearing around the corner. I looked up at my angel and smiled.

"What?" she asked.

"There is…one thing you could do for me." I said sheepishly.

She waited, and I reached up to cup her face gently, pulling it down to mine. She kissed me softly, her lips meeting and separating from mine. Our breathing was minced, ragged, and her hand knotted into my hair. Just then, someone cleared their throat from the doorway; my Dad. He smiled at us as we detangled our limbs, telling me that I was not in for a lecture on PDA.

He handed Ann Marie a giant glass of water, and she sipped it daintily. My Mom came into the room and set a bowl of pretzels in front of Ann Marie, who took a few and crunched them quietly. My parents smiled coyly at one another before they launched into a deep conversation…in French. Meaning they didn't want me to understand what they were saying…

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BPOV

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Whenever I was human, I would have laughed if you told me that I would be having a full-fledged conversation with Edward in _French. _Yet, here we were, talking in front of Ann Marie and Anthony _about _Ann Marie and Anthony.

"Our boy is in love, Edward!" I said with perfect articulation.

"I know," he answered happily, "and, of course, she returns his feelings just as strongly."

I looked over where the two lovebirds were perched on the couch; Ann Marie had Anthony's head in her lap, running her fingers lovingly through his hair as they stared at one another passionately. Anthony smiled that small, special smile that gave it all away; he was in love. Head over heels in love.

"Why wouldn't she? He's wonderful- just like his father."

Edward smiled and kissed me deeply. "We'll have to ask Alice if there are wedding bells in the distance."

I elbowed him in the side. "Baby steps, dear. Baby steps." I sighed.

After a few hours, Anthony began to feel better. It was miraculous, because it had been so severe; perhaps it was simply a 24-hour bug. Six o'clock rolled by, and Ann Marie suggested that she leave.

"Won't you stay for dinner?" I asked, cocking my head at her.

She looked flustered for a moment. "Um, sure, Mrs. Cullen. Just let me call my Dad to see if it's okay."

"You can call me Bella, dear." I reminded gently.

She nodded as she excused herself outside to call her father. Annabelle hobbled into the room from where she had been napping in the den, smiling her famous Cheshire cat smile at Anthony.

"What?" he asked.

"Anthony and Ann Marie sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G." she sang tauntingly.

"Knock it off!" he hissed.

"Enough, Annabelle." Edward warned.

She rolled her eyes, huffing.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady." Edward said authoritatively.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Daddy. That was for Anthony, not you." she said, batting her eyelashes innocently.

Just then, Ann Marie danced back in. "My Dad says that it's okay." she said happily. Anthony stood, and then blushed; he had forgotten that he had rejected the shirt I had offered him earlier…before Ann Marie showed up. He had been covered by a blanket the entire time, and now, he was completely bare chested in front of his girlfriend. Ann Marie tried not to stare, but, like whenever Edward took off his own shirt, it was hard for her to look away.

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AMPOV

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God almighty- he was so gorgeous. His chest was so _toned- _it was amazing. His skin was flawless, stretched tight over the endless muscles. He had, like, a ten pack, a washboard stomach that flowed easily to his 'V'…which was hidden by his loose pajama pants. His face was bright red, and he didn't look at me. It was probably because of my staring; I looked away immediately.

"Anthony," Mr. Cullen-erm, Edward-said gently, "perhaps you should get a shirt. Maybe you could show Ann Marie your room while you are up there."

His blush intensified as he looked up. "Sure, Dad." he said rather sarcastically as he patted his father's shoulder, "Thanks for the idea."

"Any time, son." Edward smirked as Anthony lead me up the stairs. He was quiet as we arrived at a large, thick oak door.

"Yeah," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "this is my room. Behind the door, I mean."

I laughed and threw the door open, stepping into the warm room. It had the feel of a college professors office and a students dorm room all in one- clean, yet lived in. There was a large, sturdy bed against the west wall, two oak bedside tables on each side. A large window took up most of the south wall, a large bookshelf on the east.

"Wow." I breathed.

"What?" he asked, pulling a t-shirt over his head.

"Nothing."

We headed back downstairs, where Bella was pulling a lovely roast chicken from the oven; I had no idea that she had been cooking. I helped set the table, and we all sat down; me next to Anthony, across from his parents. Annabelle sat at the end.

"So," Bella began, "how is school for you, dear?"

"Just fine," I answered, "I'm doing pretty well- I love art, and I'm thinking about going out for the volleyball or track team."

"Speaking of teams," Edward smiled, "baseball tryouts are in a week. Are you exited, son?"

Anthony nodded robotically.

Baseball team? I thought, Anthony's a really shy guy. No way he's doing this voluntarily. I'll bet he is good though…

I took my first bite of the food; it was heaven. The chicken was cooked to perfection, the mashed potatoes fluffy and buttery. The green beans were, to my surprise, uncooked- crunchy and sweet, not oily like most out-of-the-can green beans. These must be fresh.

"This is amazing." I said.

"Thank you." Bella said, folding her hands and resting them under her chin, "I'm glad you like it."

After a few moments of silence, Anthony rested his hand on my leg under the table. I smiled at him, noticing the strange way that he ate, cautiously sticking the food into his mouth and avoiding his teeth.

"What?" he asked.

"Um, if you don't mind my asking, why do you eat like that?"Everyone but Anthony laughed.

"Now, there's a story." Edward chuckled.

"Oh, God. Please, Dad, no!" Anthony pleaded desperately, his emerald eyes wide as he looked between his father and I.

"Whenever Anthony was thirteen, his orthodontist suggested that he get braces, but, only for a little while- his teeth weren't _that _crooked." Edward smiled.

Anthony put his head down, banging it against the table top.

"He hated those things- he never smiled and hardly opened his mouth the entire six months he had them on." Bella continued, "I think we have a picture of him smiling with his braces on up in the hallway. I'll be right back."

"Mom! Don't!" Anthony begged.

She went anyway, reappearing with a picture frame in her hand. She handed it to me, and I smiled; Anthony was smiling, laughing, it seemed; shiny metal braces covered his teeth, looking like railroad tracks. I snorted, trying not to laugh.

"Great." Anthony mumbled.

"No, no!" I insisted as everyone began to laugh, "You are so cute in this picture!"

A dark red blush crept up his neck, all the way up to his ears.

"Any more embarrassing things she should know about Anthony?" Annabelle asked.

They all thought, and Anthony looked horrified.

"What about the time when he was two and managed to get all that glue in his hair?" Annabelle said.

They all laughed.

"Keyword; I was two!" Anthony defended. They laughed harder.

"And the time he licked that pole during winter and got his tongue stuck!"

Apparently, that was all Anthony could take; he shoved away from the table, huffing. He stormed out of the room; the sound of the front door slamming made me jump. Everyone stared after him.

"I am so sorry, Ann Marie." Bella said, "He never behaves like this."

"I know." I answered, getting up.

I made my way outside, and found Anthony leaning against a tree a few yards from the house. He was pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, sighing. He didn't have any shoes on, simply stood on the damp ground.

"Hey," I said gently, coming up next to him, "it's okay."

"I'm sorry. They are just so…embarrassing. You know how I am; I can stand to be the quiet one, the one that needn't say much, just the simple nod every once in a while. They love to exploit that." he sighed.

I kissed his cheek. "It's okay." I repeated, "We all did crazy things when we were younger. It wont' make me think less of you- it helps me know you better, actually."

He moved his hand from in front of his face to look at me with burning eyes; he cupped my face as he had done earlier, and kissed me deeply, passionately. His tongue traced my lips, silently pleading for entrance; I parted my lips, and his tongue massaged my own. He groaned against my mouth, and turned to push me against the tree he had been leaning on- my leg snaked up to wrap around his waist. I rubbed his back, encouraging him, and our mouths came unglued.

He pulled his face back from mine, emerald eyes sparkling with passion, and looked at me heavily. I swallowed nervously, waiting for him to say something. After a moment of his intense stare, he leaned down next to my ear, his breathing heavy.

"I love you, Ann Marie." he whispered.

I looked at him, shocked. Had I heard correctly? This godly creature loved me? My eyes were brimmed with tears as I responded.

"I love you, too, Anthony." I said, my tears flowing over as he kissed me again, just as passionate, just as fiery. I shuddered when he nibbled my ear, telling me how much he loved me in a hushed, private tone. He took to suckling at the base of my neck, rather roughly, his hands kneading my outer thighs…near my butt.

"Anthony," I gasped, trying to breathe, "you're going to give me a hickey."

"Do you want me to stop?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

"No, keep going." I begged.

He put his mouth back to my throat, sucking and nipping the sensitive skin. I was in heaven; he started to grind his hips against mine, and I knew that we had to stop before we went to far to quit. I stood up straighter, and kissed him once.

"I'd better go." I said, "I told my Dad that I was staying for dinner, not dessert."

He smirked, and kissed my forehead.

"I'll see you tomorrow." he said.

"Bye." I said dreamily, climbing into my car and taking off, careful as I navigated the twisting, turning driveway;

I was in a love fog.

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**A/N- Aww! I loved this chapter! BE SURE TO CHECK MY PROFILE FOR _ALL GROWN UP_ LINKS!!!**


	6. Baseball Games And Lovebites

**A/N- Okay, back to our lovebirds…with a little sibling rivalry going on.**

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ANPOV

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The next morning, I woke early to take a shower, and actually took a good ten minutes to decide what I was going to wear; I checked the clock. It was exactly 5:45. Annabelle wasn't even up yet.

I finally decided on a t-shirt, my jacket from our date, and some dark wash jeans. I brushed my teeth compulsively, brushing to a beat:

_She loves me she loves me she loves me. _I repeated over and over again in my head, smiling as I spat my toothpaste foam into the sink. All I could see in my mind was Ann Marie's beautiful face, smiling, making her freckles pop. Just then, my phone went off on the counter next to me- I could tell who it was by the ringer.

_I'm in love with a girl…_

**Good morning, sunshine. **she had typed. I smiled and responded.

_**Good morning, beautiful. I'm surprised you're up this early.**_

I sat my phone down and smoothed the limited wrinkles from my shirt; the phone went off again.

**You shouldn't be. I am up at precisely 4:30 every morning.**

_**Why??????? I may not be like all the guys at school, but I need my sleep. It's not a pretty picture when I don't get it.**_

**Yoga. And I'll bet you look adorable sleep deprived.**

_**I think the word you're looking for is 'hot'- I don't do adorable. ;)**_

I grabbed my books from my desk and headed toward the stairs, shutting my bedroom door firmly behind me, looking down at my phone. Intexicated, you might say. Just then, I ran into someone, or rather some_thing. _Annabelle's face was covered in this weird looking green stuff- I recognized it as facial scrub that she wore to bed…though I normally didn't see it while it was on her.

"God," I gasped, "there's something eating your face!"

"Shut up, Anthony." she growled, "I'm not in the mood for it."

"Too bad." I answered, reaching out to her face and squinting my eyes, "You really sleep with that stuff on your face? Aren't you worried that it'll stain your skin that hideous shade of green?"

Just then, my phone went off- but, before I could read Ann Marie's response, Annabelle levitated my Blackberry into the air, just out of my reach.

"Oh, come on!" I groaned, literally jumping for it, "You know that I hate it when you do this!"

"You want to be able to reach your dang phone?" she demanded, "Fine then."

Suddenly, I was floating into the air, towards the high ceiling. I grabbed my phone in midair before demanding that she put me down. She banged my head against the ceiling once before dropping me to the floor and stomping to her own bathroom at the end of the hall, slamming the door behind her.

"Somebody's PMSing!" I called after her.

She mentally chucked a bar of soap at my head, missing, and I read Ann Marie's text.

**Tell me you aren't cocky like the rest of the guys at school, and virtually most of the male population! Please!**

I laughed.

_**Not on my good days. Hey, do you want to ride to school with me this morning???**_

I crossed my fingers and smirked evilly; this should get Annabelle back for the whole levitation/soap thing.

**Could you come early? I want to show you how much I've missed you.**

I swallowed really hard, my hands shaking profusely as I responded.

_**It's only been 9 hours since we last saw one another.**_

…**Regardless. ;) **she responded.

Okay, I was really shaking now, as I sat in the middle of the second floor hallway. I got up and headed downstairs, not tasting my breakfast as I forced it down in a hurry. My Mom asked where the fire was, winking at me. I shrugged, and told her that I needed to leave early, and that Annabelle was a big girl and could drive herself. I was, despite their apology, still angry at them for their little escapade last night.

I left, well over the speed limit until I reached the small suburb that she lived in, pulling up in front of her house; she was waiting for me on the front porch. She called to someone in the house-her father, probably-and ran to my car, her face exited. She kissed my cheek, though I was prepared for much more than that. I was quite disappointed…until she put a small folded note in my lap. I opened it:

_There's a small patch of forest a few blocks east here-very private. Go there, and I'll show you how much I missed you._

I swallowed hard once more and looked over at her; her full lips were in a slight pout/smirk combination, and she didn't bother to put on her seatbelt. I checked the clock; 6:30. I didn't normally even leave the house until 7:25. We had a full hour (and then some) to be together, all alone, and…to do the things that we were going to do.

She was quiet as I found my way to the forest mentioned; it was very dark, and I drove a full one hundred yards in before I stopped. We were smack dab in the middle of the dense trees. Didn't seem very small to me. I pulled the keys from the ignition, tossed them in the cup holder between us and turned to look at her. She leaned slowly over to me and pressed her lips to mine for a moment; those kissing sounds that you always hear echoed through my car. She pulled away after a moment; that irked me…until she spoke.

"Come with me to the backseat." she whispered seductively, nibbling my ear. I was there in less than two seconds, wondering absentmindedly when I had become so much like your average teenage guy. She crawled into my lap, her hands cupping both sides of my face, and she started what would become one very hot make out session. Her tongue fought with mine for dominance, and my hands cupped and groped her lovely ass.

After a few minutes, I kissed her jaw, moving south to her neck to admire my "handiwork"- an olive sized, purple hickey on the right side of her throat. She wasn't really trying to hide it, though I had the feeling she probably would when she got to school; I didn't blame her at all, what with the way people at our school loved to talk, especially about other people. I brushed her unbelievably long hair aside to suckle on her neck again, but, she stopped me.

"Oh no you don't," she purred, shifting so that she was laying on top of me, "it's your turn now."

She bit my neck gently, making the vampire part of my nature jump, and sucked on my skin _hard. _She was trying to give me a hickey identical to hers, and fast. I mumbled a few incoherencies about how it felt, though she seemed to understand. She began to kiss me again, and we both began to feel each other up- her hands rubbed my chest, while my hands rubbed her curvy sides, working up to her chest. She rubbed her pelvis against my own, conjuring up an easy boner. I couldn't contain the groan that escaped my lips.

"I love you," we both breathed when we had to come up for air.

After that, not much more happened- we just used the twenty minutes that we had left laying in each others arms, kissing on occasion. We talked quietly, lovingly ,and it was then that I came to a very important and surprising (almost scary) conclusion:

I wanted to spend the rest of my very long life with this girl.

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AT SCHOOL, ALGEBRA 4, AMPOV

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I took my seat next to Anthony in Algebra 4, smiling a teasing smile at him. He gulped, and smiled back at me. Our daily lecture was on algorithms, something I had mastered in Vegas, so I sat back and stared out into space, thinking about how badly I wanted to doodle on the inside of my notebook a million times; "Mrs. Ann Marie Cullen…A.M.C.M+A.M.C forever"

I shook my head, shooing away the ever familiar love fog. First period ended, and I whispered goodbye to Anthony before heading to Art, my favorite class. We were free drawing today, so I sat down at an easel with a box of pastels, picking out the charcoal one first. I unthinkingly began to draw a pair of eyes, emitting a serious stare, yet, soft, floating on the page. I smiled as I reached for the emerald green pastel.

To my surprise, a rather snobby, unpleasant girl named Maureen sat next to me. Her corn silk blonde hair was stuck up into an intricate bun, her nose so pointy that you could pop a balloon on it. I ignored her, for she was in my first, second, fourth, sixth, and eighth period classes, and I had learned to avoid acknowledging her at all costs. I craned my neck to see around my easel, and I felt my hoodie fall down, exposing the hickey that Anthony had marked me with last night. I quickly readjusted it, hoping that no one had seen it.

"Where'd you get that big ole' hickey?" Maureen demanded in her nasally Southern accent.

"What hickey?" I asked innocently.

She yanked down my hoodie and poked me in the neck.

"_That _hickey." she said.

I huffed quietly and shoved her hand away. "Mind your own business." I growled.

She sighed. "Well, if you're not gonna tell me, I could always ask around, see if anyone knows of any guy that would be suckin' on your skinny little neck."

I was silent.

"Hey, Annabelle? Libby? Do you know of anyone who would be having a little roll around with Ann Marie McClain?" she quoted threateningly.

"Alright, alright!" I whispered, "You have to swear that you won't tell anyone!"

She was silent this time.

"It was Anthony." I said.

She laughed. "Anthony Cullen?" she howled, "Yeah right. Stop pullin' my chain. Who was it really? If you're gonna keep lying through your teeth, I will ask the cheerleaders."

"You don't believe me?" I hissed, getting defensive, "He has one, too."

She rolled her eyes at me again.

"Well, I'll just have to ask Libby next period." she said.

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GYM, ANPOV

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Something was weird.

People kept staring at me everywhere I went, and it hadn't started until after third hour. People pointed and whispered and giggled, some just gawked, or kept staring at my chin and neck- I zipped up my jacket to hide the blossoming hickey that my angel had given me during our little…romp this morning. Ann Marie kept looking over her shoulder, and had changed into a turtleneck sweater. She said that she had spilled paint on her hoodie and shirt during Art.

I changed in one of the stalls in the locker room before gym, listening to the whispers near the actual lockers.

"…heard that they had sex in his car this morning…"

"…not like him…lucky, though…"

"…yeah, like, every guy in the school wanted to hit that…"

I couldn't hear who they were talking about, just prayed that it wasn't my sister.

I pulled my hoodie on, and walked out into the large gym; everything went quiet. Even coach Anderson stared at me. We jogged three laps around the gym, a piece of cake for me, though it left a few of the guys winded and panting like dogs. After 30 push-ups, we were divided into teams for another baseball game, though coach gave the speech about tryouts for the team that were in six days. Surprisingly, I felt a little flare of excitement at the mention of the tryouts. How very unlike me.

My team was in the outfield first this time; I took the middle of everyone, just in case I needed to move quickly.

The first batter for the opposing team stepped up to the plate, spat on the ground, and took the position. He hit the ball high, and a few of my teammates just stood there, staring at the ball. I rolled my eyes and got right under it, catching it flawlessly. There was scattered applause, though you could still hear the awkward, tense questions behind the claps. Some still stared.

We won again, 23-2, and I was feeling powerful and gutsy as I paced into the locker room, fueled by adrenaline.

For a second, I completely forgot about the hickey.

I waltzed right in to the locker room, stripping off my shirt as I went to my locker…right in between all the guys. Everyone gasped.

"Oh, God! It's true!" someone exclaimed.

"What?" I asked, turning.

"You and Ann Marie got it on this morning!"

"We did what?"

"You know what, man." Trevor said, examining my hickey…which I, at this point, remembered existed.

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"You two got it on."

"Did it." someone offered.

"Made ends meet."

"You rocked her world…hopefully. For your pride's sake."

I was so confused; my brow furrowed as I pulled my jeans on.

"You had sex." Trevor clarified.

My eyes widened… and then I laughed.

"No we didn't." I said.

"Then where'd you get the love bite, mate?" Peter, an Australian exchange student, asked.

"We didn't have sex this morning, but we did…make out." I said, blushing furiously as I pulled my t-shirt over my head.

There were several hoots, and a few claps. I got pats on the back, and lots of congratulations. Some of them looked at me hatefully, like they were jealous.

Then, I realized something else:

I was going to have to tell my parents about the hickey.

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**A/N- Anthony's in trouble…(and, quite frankly, is a little slow slang wise)**

**XD**


	7. Batter Up!

**A/N- As I said in the last author's note, Anthony's in trouble! Can't wait to hear Bella and Edward's reactions to his…lovebite.**

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**ANPOV**

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I gulped as I waited in the parking lot for Annabelle- I caught sight of her, pretending to be helpless as she hobbled (with extreme exaggeration) on her crutches. There was already a guy carrying her books, and two more were squabbling over who would carry her bag for her. I rolled my eyes, temporarily pulled from my extreme anxiety at what my parents would say about the fairly dark hickey on my neck. In the locker room, I had worn it as a badge of honor; all the guys had begged for details of our little…morning romp.

"Did you get very far?" Trevor demanded.

"Where'd you go?"

"Did you get to see anything?"

I just smiled and walked out- these guys would tell every one that we did not have sex, but that she was mine, no one else's.

"Hey." Annabelle said, sliding into the front seat, "nice hickey."

I blushed as Ann Marie slid into the backseat, smiling at me; I smiled back, driving casually, despite the face that my legs were shaking so hard it reminded me of when a kid in my fourth grade class had a seizure.

"Nervous about what Mom and Dad are gonna say?" Annabelle asked as she fixed her lipstick in my rear view mirror.

"Oh, no," Ann Marie gasped, "you aren't going to be in serious trouble for that, are you?"

I didn't answer- because I didn't know.

"I'm so sorry." she said.

"No, no!" I said, quick to assure her despite my own uneasiness, "I'll be okay. My parents are cool."

We were quiet the rest of the way to her house; the grass was beginning to 'go green' between each suburban house, the sidewalk decorated about every ten feet with either a chalk drawing or a child's toy; tricycles, footballs, jump ropes. A few lawns were being nurtured with sprinklers, making their never-changing half circle around the greenery. We stopped at her house, and I walked her to the door.

"Are you sure you won't be in trouble?" she asked as she dug her house key from her purse.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Don't worry." I smiled, leaning down to kiss her.

It went a little further than intended.

She pulled me to her; I went willingly. We stood there, kissing, touching one another's faces, when I heard a honk. Annabelle was honking my car horn at us, her face disapproving. I laughed, a hard sound, for it was only to cover up my annoyance with my sister. I kissed her once more, and turned on one foot to jog to the car. We took off, and Annabelle started in:

"What are you thinking?" she demanded, "that was a major no-no! Someone could have seen you! And, as for that hickey, are you asking for another?"

"Will you be quiet?" I asked, exhausted, "No one would have seen us, and no, I'm not asking for another. Now, you may look like Mom, but trust me, sis, you aren't her."

She looked shocked, like I had reached across and slapped her.

"And you may look like a freaky clone of Dad, but you aren't him. Trust me. You are shy, kind of clumsy, and about as 'smooth' as a gravel road. I don't see why Ann Marie would want to date you when she could have a choice of almost any guy in school." she hissed in response.

My eyes widened, and my face fell. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes, and swallowed hard as we pulled up to the house. I slammed the car door behind me, and she followed me, no longer faking the severity of her injury.

"Oh, Anthony-" she started, but I didn't want to hear it; she knew that this was my sour spot, the crack in my armor. She knew it, and she had exploited it.

"Don't talk to me." I growled as I made it to the door.

"I didn't mean it!" she called desperately.

"Then why'd you say it?" I asked sadly before turning to breeze to my room, brushing of my parents greetings. I slammed the door behind me, digging out my iPod and finding the loudest, most violent song I could manage.

I threw myself onto the bed, but didn't cry. Instead, I let out a long, loud, frustrated grunt.

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bPOV

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"Ughhhh!" I heard Anthony grunt from upstairs, worrying me immediately.

"What's wrong with your brother?" I asked Annabelle as she tried to sneak past, clutching her math book like a shield.

"Nothing." she said nervously.

"Didn't seem like nothing to me." Edward said, leaning against a wall, "But, then again, I'm just his father. I wouldn't know."

She sighed. "We just had an argument, okay?" she said.

"About what?"

She was silent. It must be bad; normally, you can't get Annabelle to shut up.

"Tell us." Edward commanded, his voice full of the fatherly tone that he had carried since her and Anthony's birth; stern, yet gentle.

"It was about a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"…Like the hickey on his neck." she mumbled, looking at the ground. She seemed guilty.

"Hickey?" Edward and I repeated, shocked.

"Yes, he has a hickey on the side of his neck, alright?!" she screeched, turning to walk away.

There was a moment of waiting, and suddenly, Anthony's bedroom door opened, and the screaming began.

"You little snitch!" Anthony bellowed in his father's voice, "I can't believe you ratted me out!"

"It's not like they wouldn't have found out anyway!" she screeched right back, "And it's hereditary that you are a carbon copy of Dad- it's not my fault, so stop blaming me for it!"

"I never blamed you for it! But you know that I hate that, and still you bring it up and throw it in my face!"

"Why does it bother you so much, anyway!" Annabelle screamed, exasperated.

"I…don't know." Anthony replied, obviously lying.

"Don't lie to me, Anthony." she whispered, gentle.

He sighed. "You don't understand." he said.

She got angry again. "You tell me that I don't understand- I _want _to understand. Help me understand!"

Another sigh. Then, I heard his door shut gently. I had a feeling that we should leave this to them.

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A WEEK LATER, ANPOV

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"Anthony, kiss me." Ann Marie sighed to me as a yellow light enveloped us. I wasn't sure where we were, but, wherever it was, the aura was amazing; so warm. It felt like home, though I could tell that we weren't there. We kissed passionately, deeply, and suddenly, I found myself on top of her, touching her, my hands sliding under her clothes.

A sharp, constant screeching split through the air, and I rolled over, pulled from my mysterious, yet, pleasant dream.

It was a week later; the day of baseball tryouts. I dragged myself out of bed and went to splash water on my face, grabbing my clothes and gym bag before heading downstairs. I headed off, arriving at the school ten minutes early-enough to get in a nice stretch. My muscles rippled, and I smiled at the familiar feeling of my body being pushed to it's limits; baseball is not a sport for sissies. There were forty or so other guys, all jockeying for a place on the team. There were twelve slots for players, one for the captain. There was this one guy, Chad Bruner, who had been the unopposed captain of every team he had ever been on- this included football, hockey, swim, and, more importantly, baseball. He was standing near the door to the field, waiting.

"All right, guys, gather around." Coach Anderson called.

We all grouped around him, and noticed a girl with short, curly blonde hair and braces standing next to him.

"This is my daughter, Sylvia." Coach said, "She handles all team financial angels. I trust you will treat her with respect."

Sylvia waved, looking very much like she didn't want to be here.

"Now, getting to business," Coach said, "first, we will run a lap around the track and record your time. Then, we will…examine your batting skills, and then move on to out fielding. The person with the best overall skill, and the one who plays with the most passion, will be chosen for the team captain, the guy that leads all the others." After pausing for a moment, he finished with "We are notorious for deciding the team in one day. There is a 99.9% chance that the team will be posted after last period. The captain is always announced over the intercom, as is tradition. Now, let's get out there- I trust you all stretched."

"Yes sir." we answered.

We all flooded the track; there were seven lanes. Seven guys at a time. I was in the first group of runners, lane four. Chad Bruner was in the lane on my left; he didn't look at me, just smiled cockily as we all started off. I kept an even pace, though gradualy speeding up. I bypassed four of the guys easily, the other slowly but surely falling behind. Chad and I were neck and neck as we rounded the last corner, but, he slowed suddenly, allowing me to blow past him, though he still came in second.

"Cullen- 2:18."

I nodded- that was faster than my normal mile time, which was more around the three minute mark. Chad had a sturdy 2:35.

"Nice run." I told him.

He rolled his eyes at me and turned away- so much for good sportsmanship. I had the best overall time- big deal, I was used to running. We moved to batting, first using pitching machines, and then pitching to one another- there were some amazing pitchers among us, and I told them so. Brian Yakima was by far the best, though. When we moved to out fielding, I was, again, visibly compared to Chad Bruner. He had very good hand-eye coordination, and he caught almost everything thrown at him.

When it was all over, we all headed to the showers (being allowed to use the teacher and handicapped showers because there were so many of us) washed up, and headed to our classes.

My day flowed easily; pop quiz in Algebra 4, examining the phases of mitosis shown by whitefish blastula in bio-chem, sub in English, and examining the Poles in geography. I came to see Ann Marie during free period, where she normally was, in the Art room. She donned a paint-covered smock, a smudge of red across her cheek. I winked at her, and she pulled me to the supply closet for a nice, ten-minute make out session (we'd been having more and more of these lately)

Lunch passed without occasion, as did French. We visualized prompts in Art, and had a free day in gym, for Coach and his affiliates were still locked in the meeting room, talking about the team.

When we were all crowded into the locker room, laughing and gathering our things, an announcement came on:

"Attention, students. As we all know, tryouts for the Senior baseball team were this morning, and I have here, in my hot little hand, the name of the team captain, as decided by Coach Anderson, and Assistant Coach Montgomery."

My heart fluttered, and I silenced it. I didn't want to get exited- it wasn't me. I could tell.

"And the new captain is… Anthony Cullen!"

My classmates erupted with applause and roars, patting me on the back and congratulating me. I just stared at the speaker.

"…What?" I asked.

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**A/N- Yay, Anthony!**


	8. The Talk'

**A/N- Okay, here we go again.**

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Captain! Captain! Captain!" all the guys cheered as I walked, in a stupor, out of the locker room. I had beat Chad Bruner, Mr. Perfect, out of the position for captain of the baseball team. I was…shocked, to say the very least. I had about a two hundred yard walk from the gym to my car, but, it was the most perilous two hundred yards of my life. I was dodging questions and high fives and date offers like Ben Stiller in _Dodgeball. _

I spotted Ann Marie leaning against my car, and she smiled at me.

"Congratulations!" she squealed, jumping into my arms.

I spun her around once, both of us laughing, as she knotted her hands into my hair in that oh-so familiar way that she did. We leaned in for a kiss, but a familiar voice called out to us.

"Hey, babe? How do you spell 'pimp'?" a girl's voice asked.

"A-N-T-H-O-N-Y." a very familiar male monotone replied.

We turned to see Chad Bruner and his long-time girlfriend Amber Tiffany, a.k.a 'Tiff', standing about three feet from us, sneering.

"They're probably off so that she can give him a celebratory blowjob." Chad chuckled.

My eyes narrowed. "Did you even make the team?" I asked.

"Yes. Second pick."

"You can't know that."

"Oh yes I can." he responded smartly, "I know people."

I wrapped my arm around Ann Marie's waist; Chad mirrored me by snaking his hand around to squeeze Tiff's thigh. We stared at one another, glaring, actually- many people stopped, staring at us.

"Well, unfortunately my new Audi is still in the shop getting a paint job- looks like we're stuck with the Ferrari, Tiff." Chad said, thought it was directed at Ann Marie.

"Oh, you poor baby." Ann Marie cooed with false pity, "I feel so sorry for you."

"Don't pull that 'poor little rich boy' line with me." he sneered, "Money buys your boyfriend anything he wants, including you. We all know that's how you two ended up together."

"I'm not a gold-digger." she hissed, "I'm with Anthony because I love him."

My heart fluttered; she _**LOVED **_me???!!!???

"Yeah," he said back, "You'd gladly 'love' any guy who has fifty bucks. Unfortunately, your love runs out after about an hour, or, in Anthony's case, ten minutes."

"On his best day." Tiff added.

"You know, Tiff, it's not a very good idea to talk about your boyfriend like that when he's right there." I said.

She rolled her eyes.

"At least my girlfriend doesn't dress like she just got off work at a whorehouse." I sneered.

"And yours doesn't? Look- her boobs are falling out of her shirt." Chad barked.

"At least I have boobs!" Ann Marie shrieked.

Tiff looked mortally offended and stomped away, huffing in a very stuck-up manner. I looked at Ann Marie through the corner of my eye; she did look a little less covered than she usually was. She donned a 'v' cut t-shirt, something about LOL Vintage, or something, and jean shorts, though she was nothing like Tiff, with her short skirt and strapless halter top (nothing to fill it out with- she was shaped like a rectangle)

Ann Marie turned to get into my car, and Chad and I stared at one another.

"You just gonna let your girlfriend fight your fights for you like that?" he asked mockingly, approaching me.

"Yeah, I am. You know why? If I fought myself, the outcome would not be too good for you."

He rolled his eyes and reached out to shove me, trying to start something. It wouldn't work; he didn't move me an inch. I however, shoved him to the ground without really trying too hard. He looked disgusted with himself as he shook the dust from his polo shirt and filthy blonde hair. Ann Marie appeared out of nowhere and looked him straight in the eye and said;

"He may have money, Chad, but I didn't see him flashing any cash to beat you out for baseball captain."

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ABOUT TWENTY MINUTES LATER, AMPOV

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After I had told Chad off, we had very calmly left the school; I gave Anthony directions to a small meadow that I knew. We had about forty five minutes to just…be together…and…other stuff…before we had to go back to the school to pick up Annabelle. I had told my Dad that I had a track info meeting (thought the real meeting was tomorrow).

"This place is amazing." he said, looking around.

"I know." I sighed, sitting on the thick grass.

He came to sit next to me, and we just sat there, bathing in the companionable silence for a little while. Just then, I reached over to cup his face gently, pressing my lips to his.

It started out innocently.

He kissed me passionately, cleanly, until I knotted my fingers into his thick bronze locks- obviously a turn-on for him. He wrapped my arms around me and rolled on top of me, pressing me against the soft grass. He kissed my neck and nibbled my shoulder, his hands sliding down my stomach. I flinched slightly when his hands slid under my shirt, and he cupped and kneaded my breasts through my bra; my own hands undid the buttons on his shirt, sliding it off of his shoulders to reveal his toned stomach.

"I love you,"

"I love you, too." I breathed airily.

He slid my shirt over my shoulders and smiled at me, kissing my collarbone. I tolled over so that I was straddling him and kissed him once, making a beeline down his chin, across his chest to his navel, kissing it as well as the small tuft of light bronze hair there. I kissed all over his torso before returning my attention to his lips. His tongue slid into my mouth, massaging mine.

But then, his hands went around my back and he tried to undo the clasp on my bra.

"Anthony, stop." I breathed.

He rolled off of me immediately, his face remorseful.

"I'm sorry." he said, his breathing rough, like mine.

"No, it's okay." I said as we pulled our shirts on, "I'm just not ready to go that far quite yet. There are a lot of steps between kissing and making love."

As had become my mantra.

He nodded, smiling nervously at me. I kissed him once more, and he drove me home. All the while, I was thinking about how _he _would have been extremely angry with me for turning him down like that. _He _may have even forced himself on me. Well, I didn't care to think about _him_, let alone my nerves get raw. I wanted to think about Anthony and I.

"Bye," I smiled, kissing him before sliding out.

"Dad," I called, "I'm home."

"Hello, sweetheart!" my father called from the kitchen, "How was your day?" he asked, embracing me with cold arms.

"Fine, fine. Working on a Monet thesis in Art."

"Lovely." he said, "We have some new neighbors- you should go over and say hello." As he said this, his eyes burned into mine.

"Can't you go?" I whined uncharacteristically; I wanted to go upstairs and work on my new mural while I fantasized about Anthony, not go and greet some strangers. He gave me a look that said 'no'.

"You know, sometimes I resent your inability to do things like this." I huffed.

I stomped out onto the lawn, knowing that he could hear me. I made my way into the next yard over, spotting a moving van and tons of cardboard boxes; I ran into one…that was…walking.

"I'm sorry!" the box cried.

"It's…o…kay?" I said, confused as to why this box was talking to me. Then, I saw who was behind the box; she was a really pretty girl, my age, with straight chestnut hair and wide brown eyes. Her skin was even in color, and she smiled at me.

"Umm, hi." I said, taking the box for her, "I'm Ann Marie McClain- you must be the new neighbor."

"Yeah," she answered, sweeping a chestnut lock behind her right ear, "I'm Chelsie Southern."

We shook hands, and I helped her carry several boxes in; I liked this girl. I had a really good feeling about her.

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LATER THAT EVENING, ANPOV

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I was sitting on my bed, freshly done with my Algebra homework, listening to my iPod- it was the theme song to my thoughts in the meadow today.

_Just ask and I will do, _

_Anything you want me to do,_

_There is no limit to how far I will go…_

_What do I have to do,_

_To get inside of you?_

_To get inside of you?_

Just then, there was a knock on my door. My Dad came in, smiling at me.

"Hey, Dad." I said, smirking.

He just smiled as he sat down on the edge of my bed; I didn't like it. It was too mischievous for my liking.

"So, how was your day?" he asked.

"Good. And yours?"

"…Interesting." he smiled.

After a moment, he began;

"So, how was your little romp at the meadow with Ann Marie? And the other morning?"

My eyes widened. "H-How did you know about that?"

He gestured at the fading hickey on my throat.

"I think that, now that you're getting older, that we should discuss the ups and downs of sexual intercourse."

My jaw dropped. "Oh, God, Dad- tell me that you're not giving me a sex talk! I'm seventeen!"

"Which is precisely the reason that now is the perfect time for this little chat. Now, I can tell that you love her, and that she loves you, but, she is human, and you are partially human. You are both capable of conceiving a child should you…go bareback, so to speak."

"Dad, tell me that you didn't just use the term 'bareback' to say unprotected sex." I groaned, feeling my cheeks flame up.

"Yes, I did, as a matter of fact, and I can understand that physical love is different to someone your age, especially if you're in love. I was extremely happy that you stopped when she told you to, didn't press farther. That could be considered forcing yourself on her, and, not only would I be extremely disappointed, you would be in trouble with the law for attempted rape."

My cheeks were inferno now.

"Anyway," he continued, "you have three options; celibacy-abstinence, which I don't think either of you want to do, birth control pills, which are completely her choice, or a condom, which can be the decision of you both. Now, in my opinion, you have more say in the condom matter than she does, since you're wearing it, but, your mother thinks that it's more her choice, because it's going into her."

I choked in shock.

"Her words, not mine." he clarified.

I was still shocked and embarrassed to an extreme degree.

"And of course, there is the matter of when and where. As for when, I think she'll decide. You'll be absolutely ready whenever she is, and to the matter of where, you have a pretty wide range of options- spanning from the classic, backseat-of-the-car scenario, not really recommended, to the hotel room, not all that terrible in my opinion."

I fell back onto the bed and pulled my pillow over my face. My face was burning all the way through my eyelids, and I groaned. He chuckled and walked out, shutting the door behind him.

**A/N- Ha- been there, had this talk. ;)**


	9. New Girls And Full Lunch Tables

**A/N- Alright, I'm calling Edward's bluff. ;)**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

EPOV

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I shut Anthony's door behind me, exhaling deeply, calming myself- and Anthony thought that that was embarrassing for _him. _I flashed downstairs and crept up behind my wife, who had her back turned away from me, chopping up some celery for our children's dinner. I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her neck, rubbing her sides to try and get her in the mood.

"Behave." she smiled, tossing the celery into a boiling pot on the stove.

"Yes ma'am."

After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

"So, how was your talk with Anthony?" she asked.

I frowned, needing to think fast to dodge her question. I took to nibbling her ear, my hands cupping her rear and squeezing gently.

It was her turn to frown. "Hm-mm." she said, turning around in my arms to face me, "You didn't answer my question."

I sighed. "It was fine. Alright?"

She shook her head. "Did you tell him how you really feel?"

"Define 'really feel'." I said, trying to bide my time.

"You didn't tell him that you'd rather he wait until marriage?" she shrieked.

"Well, it started out that way, but, then I got off topic and then got uncharacteristically nervous and just started rambling. I have no idea what happened." I gulped.

She rolled her eyes, huffing. "Edward, you are a grown man, and he is your seventeen-year-old son. I don't believe you have any reason to be nervous." she grumbled, adding chopped beef to the mixture.

I huffed as well and leaned against the kitchen counter. _So much for getting some. _I grumbled mentally.

"I'll have to talk to him." she said, thinking aloud.

"Have fun." I said, my tone unintentionally sour and disappointed.

She turned to me after she put a lid on the pot.

"What's wrong, Edward? You look kind of disappointed. Was there something you needed to ask me? Something you wanted?" she smiled evilly.

I didn't say anything- I was shocked for no apparent reason. She smiled wider, and grabbed the collar of my shirt, kissing me deeply. I started to push her into our bedroom anxiously, but she stopped me at our doorway.

"Edward, we have to be quiet. Both of the kids are home." she warned.

I grinned devilishly and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Do you think you can be quiet?" I asked.

She thought a moment. "If you're going to behave, I think I can keep down the audio porn." she said, her hand snaking down my chest and over my belt.

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A WHILE LATER, ABPOV

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I had been upstairs, on my laptop, writing on my English essay for fourth period, when I got bored. I hobbled out into the hall, my ankle sore, but no longer bandaged, and I levitated down the stairs, not wanting to walk. Anthony's door was closed, and I heard him moving around, breathing erratic- he was probably severely disturbed from Dad's little speech he gave him about 'sexual intercourse', as Dad had put it.

"Mom? Dad?" I called softly, knowing that they would hear me.

No answer.

I settled myself down onto the floor, my bare feet padding on the kitchen tile. I grabbed a drink of water from the sink, wondering where my parents had gone- it wasn't like either of them to disappear without telling us. I looked over- their bedroom door was closed, as it usually was, and everything seemed to be in order. But then, my unusually sensitive ears picked up on a strange thudding noise- coming from my parents room.

Now, I know what you're going to say. 'You're seventeen. How could you not know what was going on?' Well, I'm not sure why. I was just curious, and not really thinking. I had only heard the sounds I was hearing in movies, and not often even then…I pushed the door open slowly, feeling my eyes widen; I saw, in plain sight, my parents…on the bed…under the sheets…

"Oh God! I'm blind!" I screamed, turning to run up the stairs. I ran headfirst into Anthony, who was coming to check out what was going on.

"Hey, hey! What's wrong?" he asked, hugging me brotherly.

"I saw, I saw," I stammered.

"What did you see?"

"I saw- I saw Mom and Dad…"

"Saw Mom and Dad what, Bell? Spit it out."

"I saw Mom and Dad…going at it." I stammered.

His face went blank for a moment, and then scrunched up in disgust. "Eww!" he groaned, "I didn't need to know that!"

"I'm sorry." I said.

We went into his room and sat on the bed, watching TV for a little while, just talking and hanging out. We talked about his new career as baseball captain (I was so proud of him) and about other things. Mom called us down for dinner, and we both went as slowly down the stairs as we could, avoiding our parents' stare as we took our places.

"So, Anthony," Mom said, "do you think your sister learned to knock after that little scenario?"

He nodded robotically.

Dinner was torture- I was the butt of many jokes, and when there was no talking, the image of my parents…doing it…kept popping into my head. I took off for Jessica's afterwards, needing to talk to someone.

I had no idea what I was missing.

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BPOV

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"I think I'll go for a quick hunt," Edward said casually, kissing me. He rumpled Anthony's hair before disappearing out the door.

"Dinner was great, Mom." Anthony stretched, yawning.

"Thank you. Tired, sweetie? I'll bet you are, after making captain of the baseball team today. Your father and I are so proud of you." I smiled, kissing his forehead.

He smiled softly back before pushing away from the table and turning to the stairs.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not so fast." I said.

He sat down again, looking smug.

"Your turn now, Mom?" he asked.

I nodded, and began.

"I know all about you and your father's little…chat earlier, and I'd like to say that your father would prefer that you save yourself until marriage, but leaves the option to you. I only have one thing to clarify for you- you are easily six times stronger than Ann Marie is, and, though you are very in control, lovemaking is a very passionate act when done right."

I paused.

"Now, hereditary traits seem to be strong in you from your father, minus the timidness that he lacks, and your father has a tendency to get…grabby when he's exited. Now, I'm not doubting your self-control at all, but, I'm simply saying that it is possible that you could be caught up in the heat of moment, and you could hurt her." I said.

His eye twitched, and he nodded before heading upstairs.

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THE NEXT DAY, AMPOV

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"Don't worry, Chelsie." I said soothingly as we drove toward the school, "You have every class with either Anthony or I, and you look totally hot. In fact, keep your hands off of my boyfriend." I smiled.

Her doe eyes widened.

"I'm joking." I laughed.

She giggled, but it cut off when we pulled up to the building. She stepped out, immediately drawing attention; she donned a frothy white, knee length skirt that I had loaned her, a yellow graphic tee with a denim jacket, and a brown belt around her waist. She completed her ensemble with ballet flats that I had also loaned her, and some colorful beads around her neck.

She clutched her books nervously, and we walked stiffly into the hall- her locker was right outside the lunchroom. We were loading her stuff-photos, books, change of clothes-into the yellow locker, when I felt a very familiar presence behind me.

"Hello," Anthony said, "who's your friend?"

"I'm Chelsie Southern." she said shyly as he shook her hand. She was blushing, taking in all of my boyfriends' godliness; the bronze hair, the green eyes, the chiseled features and square jaw.

"She's new, and my next door neighbor." I said, smiling at him. I held up my math textbook to shield our faces from the crowd as we kissed-only once. The hall erupted with scandalous 'ooh's and we both smiled and headed for another kiss.

"You two!" Mr. Murphy, the vice-principal called, "No public displays of affection!"

We chuckled and I put the book down. We three headed off to Algebra 4, and Chelsie graced into the room…only to collide with Chris Anderson (you know, the guy that always gets his braces caught on the mouthpiece of his clarinet) Both of them were carrying a ton of stuff, so it looked like a school supply truck had exploded; there were papers, pens, books, and sheet music scattered a good five feet radius from them. They had run into one another that hard.

"I-I'm sorry," Chris said nervously, "I'm such a klutz."

He bent down and began to separate his stuff from hers, and she looked at me nervously. I gestured wildly that she should get down to help him.

"Hey, it's alright," Chelsie said, getting on her knees, "let me help you."

Together, they collected things, putting them in the correct pile. Both of them were blushing slightly, and suddenly, their hands met when they both reached for the same piece of sheet music.

They both looked up in shock, and their eyes locked. Chris smiled, revealing his railroad track teeth, shiny with his metal braces. Chelsie smiled back, instead of gawking like most people would. Her eyes glittered, and I pointed at them when I had Anthony's attention. He smiled, and held my hand for a minute.

Chelsie and Chris sat at our table during lunch, which normally was pretty empty, but had blossomed into a full table, holding the whole baseball team, minus Chad; Brian Yakima, Paul Minert, Kyle Mock, Peter Johnson, Miles Stander, Adam Winsler, Ryan Stuart, Tyler Walker, Chase Monroe, and Luke Livenston. Chelsie and I were the only girls at the table, and it was all classic guy behavior; food flying past every once in a while, loud laughter and conversations all around. Anthony let out a loud belch.

"Excuse me," he said, smirking.

"Nice." Luke, Tyler, and Chase all said at once.

Chelsie looked frightened.

"So, Captain, when's our first practice?" they all asked, turning to face Anthony.

"I asked Coach, and he said that our first is tonight." he said proudly, "We'll be deciding on uniforms, tournaments…and getting in some batting and pitching practice."

They all cheered.

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AFTER SCHOOL

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Chelsie got a ride home from Chris, so I stayed after to watch Anthony's practice. I leaned against the wall and listened intently as they quickly discussed the uniform matter, hovering, however, on the tournament issue.

"So, we defiantly want to do the Fireworks Tournament in Tulsa on July 2nd," Anthony murmured, taking intricate notes on his clipboard.

"I always knew that there was a bright side to having a nerd for our captian." Chase said.

Anthony rolled his eyes. "Thank you." he said sarcastically.

"Now, with that said," he continued, "There is another tournament, though it's right after the one in Tulsa- literally. It's on the 8th, and it's in Oklahoma City. It's called the Sunset Tournament, and it'd leave us no time to rest in between." He was shaking his head now.

"Well, I don't see why not." Kyle prompted, "We're all tough."

A lot of the guys started to agree, buzzing with the idea.

"Woah, woah, guys." I said, "You may be tough, but come on. Two tournaments in a row? Be serious."

They thought for a moment, and I started to get hot, so I pulled off my overshirt…forgetting that I was wearing a cut-off tank top underneath, exposing my pierced navel.

"Hey, not to be rude, but that's hot." Brian said, pointing at my stomach and catching Anthony's attention. He stared at the single diamond stud, a glazed look in his eyes.

"How could not have noticed that before?" he asked.

I shrugged uncomfortably. He still stared for a moment, and I pulled my overshirt back on.

That probably wasn't too smart of me.

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	10. A Victory And A First

**A/N- …I don't own _Twilight_…or Nike…or Muse.**

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ANPOV

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_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz_.

My alarm clock went off after I was already up. I felt like an eight-year-old on Christmas morning; tonight was our first baseball game.

I got dressed, wearing the outfit that I had worn to Jessica Beeland's party, and I was hyper with excitement. I drove to school quickly, stopping to pick up Ann Marie on the way.

"Hi," she smiled, "are you excited?"

I nodded eagerly as Chelsie climbed in next to Ann Marie.

"Hey, Chelsie." Annabelle and I said in unison. She smiled in response. We all arrived pretty early- there were only about five other cars in the student lot. We chatted about nothing for a few minutes, letting everyone else show up, before we headed inside. There was a strange buzz about the entire building, and the aura was hyped and scandalous. We all took our seats in the Algebra 4 classroom…and then, Chris Anderson walked in.

His braces were _gone._

Yeah- gone! Completely gone! He smiled proudly for a moment, but, seemed to get nervous whenever he came up to Chelsie's desk.

"H-Hey, Chelsie." he stammered.

"Hi, Chris." she said quietly, smiling.

There was a tense moment of silence.

"Umm, Chelsie?"

"Yes?"

"Umm, I was just wondering…if…you'd like to go to prom with me next week." he mumbled.

She took on that deer-in-the-headlights look for a moment before she smiled again.

"I'd love to, Chris." she said.

He smiled victoriously and turned to walk to his desk in the back; I heard Trevor gulp as Rachael entered the room.

"R-Rachael?" he called nervously; I winked at him.

"Yeah, Trevor?" she said, cuddling her books in her arms.

"Umm, do you…have a date for prom yet?"

"No, why?"

"Do you want to go with me?" he asked.

"Sure." she smiled, "I was hoping you'd ask."

"R-Really?" he squeaked.

She nodded and headed to her seat; class began and passed quickly, mirroring the rest of the day. I dropped off Ann Marie and Chelsie, then sped home to change and eat something.

"Anthony, your game doesn't start for three more hours." my Mom said as I wolfed down a burrito.

"Can you blame him, though?" Dad asked.

She smiled, and I headed upstairs to pack my bag for the game; a simple Nike duffel with the white check on the side, with the words "Just Do It" under that. I folded my uniform neatly and settled it in, right next to my shoes and water bottle. The next two and a half hours passed at a snails pace; I swear that the clock actually stopped a few times. But then, we all drove to the field; we were at home tonight. I smacked my gum anxiously as I bade my parents and sister goodbye and headed for the locker room; Ann Marie and Chelsie stopped me.

"Hi," they both said.

"Hey," I said distractedly.

"I'll be in the very front of the bleachers, sort of the unofficial cheerleader and umpire." Ann Marie said.

"And I'll be up in the top right, sitting with Chris." Chelsie smiled, "Good luck."

"Thanks, guys." I said, kissing Ann Marie and hugging Chelsie before I jogged to the locker rooms and changed. The whole team (Chad, unfortunately, included) was gathered around Coach for some words of wisdom before our first game after our stretch in the back lot (a good luck superstition for over fifty years).

"Now…" he began, "I know a lot of you are nervous, and I know that a lot of you are excited. I know exactly how you feel. All I have to say is that if you play your best, you're still winners…just not in the crowds eyes."

We all laughed, feeling less tense, and headed onto the field- we were batting first. I had given everyone a lucky piece of gum, explaining that Ann Marie had kissed the package. They were all popping and smacking it eagerly when Coach called me up.

"Cullen, I want you up first." he said.

I nodded, and stepped out of the dugout, listening to the applause.

"And, up first for the Coyotes is number seventeen, team captain Anthony Cullen." the announcer boomed. I gripped the bat tightly, taking a few practice swings at the air as I looked over the fairly large crowd; Ann Marie and Chelsie were exactly where they said that they would be, and my parents were sitting in the third row on the left, smiling proudly. I took a deep breath, and took my batting stance, knees slightly bent, shoulders tensed. I glared at the Cobra's pitcher intently as he threw out the first pitch of the season; I hit it dead on, smiling involuntarily at the crack of bat-on-ball contact that echoed through the park. I dropped the bat and glanced up at the ball, just in time to see it sail over the fence.

"Home run!" the announcer yelled excitedly, "Ladies and gentlemen, the first hit of the season is a home run! What a marvelous start for Anthony Cullen!"

The crowd went wild as I sprinted around the bases, smiling smugly at the Cobra's shocked faces. Ann Marie was screaming and jumping up and down; I smiled at her when I turned around at home base. My team high fived me and Coach applauded me. First inning passed pretty well; we only had one guy (Chad, ironically enough-three times in a row!) tagged out, so we were up 10-0.

It was ninth inning when the trouble started.

We were down by one, 14-15, and things were getting a little…tense between the teams. I was up, getting a strike before hitting a smooth ball into the outfield, though it waned slightly to the left.

"Foul ball!" the Cobra's umpire called.

I turned to look confusedly at him.

"You're blind!" Ann Marie screamed from the bleachers.

I shook my head and hit again, this time far enough to get to third base. Miles brought me home, and followed me in- we had won, 16-15...and apparently the Cobras didn't like the fact. Their third baseman stormed me, and angry look on his face.

"Hey, man!" I said, backing up and holding my hands up as a sign of peace. He just continued cussing me out, shoving me a few times; I could see that my teammates were about to jump this guy for messing with me; I could also feel it in their aura. I was getting a little agitated that he wouldn't stop, and downright pissed when he tried to spit on me.

"Touch me again and I'll put you on you ass!" I hissed, getting in touch with the…vampire part of my nature.

His eyes widened, and he backed away again, turning to run across the field.

Then, I was attacked…by Ann Marie.

"We won!" she screamed, appearing out of nowhere on the field and jumping into my arms. I spun her around, and she wrapped her legs around my waist, dusting my face with kisses while avoiding my lips. She loosened her grip when my parents showed up next to us, smiling.

"That's my boy!" my Dad said, patting me on the back. The team swarmed me, and we all cheered, celebrating. In the midst of all our happiness, I didn't see Ann Marie whispering to my parents near the exit. After a few minutes, the Cobras walked out quickly, avoiding our boastful stares. We all started to head out, and Ann Marie caught the sleeve of my jersey.

"You're coming with me." she said.

"Okay?" I said, making it sound like a question.

She lead me to her car, and we took off, speeding into the night. We eventually arrived at this meadow…a lot like the one in my dream. We sat in the pale moonlight, staring up at the stars as we reclined in the grass. She looked at me and smiled softly; I smiled back and leaned in for a kiss.

I had no idea what I was starting.

She kissed me with passion and fire, knotting her dainty fingers into my thick mop of hair. Her tongue danced with mine, and she reached for the buttons on the front of my jersey, undoing them easily. She slid it off and then tugged away my undershirt, running her hands over my stomach; I suckled on her pulse point, moving around a lot as to not give her another hickey. She whimpered and pulled me on top of her, wrapping her legs around my waist again. I nibbled her ear, and she pulled her t-shirt over her head. I didn't make another move to unclasp her bra…but she did. The garment fell to the ground, and I was amazed at what I saw.

Her full, curved breasts were perfect, the slightly tan, smooth skin glowing in the moonlight.

"I-I-I," I stammered.

She smiled somewhat evilly. "I told you that there were steps between kissing and making love. This is one of them."

I reached down and cupped her right breast, taking in the warm, smooth texture. I kissed her nipple gently before fondling her for a while. She kissed my chest and my stomach, making me shiver despite the warm night.

I took her home, leaving her with a kiss on the front porch; Chelsie's butter-colored bedroom curtains fluttered.

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MONDAY, AMPOV

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"Do you think Chris likes me?" Chelsie asked, staring down the street.

"Oh yeah- he'd be an idiot if he didn't." I responded as Anthony pulled up.

"Ready for Senior Activities Week, girls?" he asked everyone in the car.

Annabelle simply nodded distractedly.

"I am. That's why I'm wearing my swimsuit under my clothes." I said. Chelsie nodded in agreement. He laughed.

"So am I. We aren't even going to school, just straight to Salina to the water park." he said, turning onto the highway.

About fifteen minutes later, we were headed into the water park gates, getting out hands stamped so that we could go back in after lunch. We were right on time, flowing with the crowd while we found a place to lounge, spreading out our towels on the man-made cement beach. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Anthony pulled his pants and shirt away, exposing his dark blue swim trunks. I pulled of my shirt and shorts to bare my polka-dotted bikini…much to Anthony's pleased look; his jaw went slack, and I smiled, letting my hair down.

"Race you to the water." I said before tearing off.

He chuckled and chased after me, right into the vast pool, grabbing me by the waist and swinging me around, laughing with me. We splashed each other, just goofing off, and I decided to head to the diving board. He went right after me, watching as I dived into the water-

Something wasn't right.

I looked down once I had resurfaced…and saw my bare breasts under the water- my top was gone.

Anthony dove in next to me, smiling a mischievous smile.

"Don't!" I exclaimed when he made a move to pick me up, "My top is gone!" I whispered. He looked down into the water, and I smacked him on the arm. "Look for it!" I hissed.

He looked, and I looked; nothing.

"Hey, Ann Marie? Looking for this?" Chad's voice called from a good ten feet away. He grinned cockily and held up my bikini top…attracting literally everyone's attention. Some pointed, some laughed, while others tried to look under the water to catch a glimpse; Anthony wouldn't have that. He pushed toward Chad while I folded my arms in front of my chest and squatted down.

"Give me it back." Anthony growled, holding out his hand. Chad smiled even bigger.

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ANPOV

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"Does Anthony want his girlfriend's panties back?" he asked, waving the garment inches from my face.

"Don't make me fight you, man." I growled.

"Ooh, I'm shaking." he taunted, smiling still.

A shocked and scandalous "Oohh!" spread through the crowd. My jaw was taunt, my eyes wide with anger. My muscles locked, and I was considering how much trouble I would get in if I actually did fight him.

"Ch-aad!" Ann Marie shrieked; I looked up, embarrassed that I had spaced out, and saw that he had put the bikini on, hamming it up for the crowd- something in me snapped. I lunged forward and knocked dead on into him, tackling him into the water and wrestling the top away from him- there were cheers and shrieks and hollers from the masses as I stood, top in hand, and turned to walk back to Ann Marie, who was trying to hide herself in the water. I handed her the top, and she slid it on before dashing for our towels; I followed her, trying to ignore the chants of "Fight! Fight! Fight!" from the crowd.

We both flopped down, sighing, and she closed her eyes.

"That was embarrassing." she said.

"I know."

We laid there for a few minutes, just holding hands, when my neck started throbbing. I rubbed at it, trying to soothe the pulsating ache.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sitting up and shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just my neck." I said.

"Here, let me see." she replied, her voice concerned. She looked at the side of my neck, reaching out to brush the skin before kneading my muscles gently. It felt really nice, so I leaned into it.

And that's how we spent the rest of our swim day- massaging one another.

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**A/N- Go Coyotes!**


	11. Just Dance

**A/N- Alright, prom, here we come!**

**(P.S- If you guys see any small spelling or grammar errors, PM me. My stupid laptop won't catch them if they're actual words. Oh, and check out the Author's Note at the bottom.)**

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AMPOV

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The rest of that week was wonderful. The food fight was the most fun thing I have ever done; I poured a bowl of mashed potatoes over Anthony's head and then pelted him with gravy-filled balloons. He got his revenge by splattering me with mustard and ketchup. The ice skating was hilarious, because Anthony had never skated before, and wasn't exactly the most graceful thing out there. I lost count of how many times he fell, stopping after twenty-five. We snuggled on a beanbag in the gym while we all watched _Catch Me If You Can. _Well, I pretended to watch- we were sitting in the back, and Anthony kept nibbling my ear and whispering passionate things to me, like "You are so beautiful," and "I love you so much."

Then came the night of the lock-in. Anthony picked me up in the Mercedes, and I tossed my duffel and sleeping bag in the backseat.

"Hello," he smiled, leaning over to kiss me.

"Hi," I said, kissing him back.

"They're letting us sleep co-ed this year." he smiled.

I grinned. "Where are we sleeping?" I asked.

"The biology room, if it's not too full."

I nodded, and reached over to hold his hand across the armrest. We pulled up to the school, catching sight of a sign that said:

**All students staying for the Senior Activities Week lock-in will need to report to the gymnasium for a brief assembly. **

We picked up our bags from the ground and headed to the gym- it was about half full of people chatting and digging through their bags. We sat in the front row, and Mr. Willard called us all to attention.

"Good evening students." he said, "Welcome to our fifteenth annual overnight lock-in. When we are done here, you will be dispatched to put your things away in one of the following rooms of your choice: room 208, room 209, room 210, room 211, or room 212. Lights out will be called at 11:00, and we will pack up tomorrow morning at 9:00, after breakfast. Tomorrow evening will be the senior prom, lasting from 7:00 to 11:00."

We all chatted for a moment, and I was thinking about my plans for tomorrow night with Anthony; dancing at prom, both of us in our formal wear. And then, just maybe…

"Hey, Ann Marie? We'd better go if we're going to get a spot in the bio room." Anthony said.

I nodded robotically and we headed up to the second floor, the first into the biology room. I sat my sleeping bag up under the window; Anthony rolled his out next to mine. Our classmates flooded the room, about fifteen others or so, and our chaperone, Mrs. Levitz, headed down the hall for "A quick meeting with the other chaperones."

The moment that the door shut, I jumped on Anthony, literally. I didn't care that everyone in that room was staring at us as we tasted one another's tongues, or that someone went to the door to be out unofficial 'lookout'. A few other couples started making out as well, but not going at it like Anthony and I were. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chelsie and Chris looking uncomfortably at one another.

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CHPOV

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Everyone around us was making out. Chris and I sat there, staring at the floor. Ann Marie and Anthony were swapping spit in the corner, grabbing and touching and feeling one another up. My ears were on fire with embarrassment as the occasional whine or whimper rang out.

"She's coming!" the guy at the door called.

Everyone sprang apart and rolled into innocent positions; Ann Marie dug out a deck of cards and began to deal a few to a very shocked Anthony. They played a few rounds of 'go-fish', going with something innocent because Mrs. Levitz was staring them down. But, after a while, she went out into the hallway, and they broke into a game of poker, betting with whatever either of them bad brought. Ann Marie ended up winning, keeping everything she had bet and taking everything Anthony had.

Just then, I felt Chris tap me on the shoulder. I turned to face him, and saw that he looked cautious, scared almost.

"What is it?" I asked.

He shook his head slowly and tilted his head…leaned in…and pressed his lips to mine. I kissed him back for a moment, but then he pulled away, smiling at me. I beamed back at him, and our fingers laced on the linoleum floor.

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ANPOV

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I was smiling slightly after I watched Chelsie and Chris kiss out of the corner of my eye; Ann Marie was smiling emotionally. I put my arm around her, pulling her closer.

"So…" I said casually, "Do you have a date for the prom yet?"

She bit her lip. "Are you asking me?"

"Are you saying yes?" I winked.

"I don't know…" she said, "My boyfriend might not like it."

I chuckled and pulled her to my chest "Who cares? I'll bet he's a loser, anyway."

"No, he's actually pretty hot."

"Am I hotter than he is?" I asked.

"Mmm….no." she answered, smiling.

I laughed out loud at that, and she laughed with me- the combined sound of our laughter was the most perfect thing I had ever heard. It sounded so right.

She stretched up, reaching toward the sky, when suddenly, a pillow came flying by and smacked her right in the face. She frowned, and picked up the offending pillow, scanning the room to see who had thrown it; Chelsie was smiling innocently. Ann Marie wheeled back and tossed it back at her, hitting her right in the back of the head. The two took to beating one another with the feather down pillows, and I chuckled. Then, they took to beating _me _with the pillows, and I rolled into my sleeping bag to dodge the blows. They giggled, and Ann Marie unzipped my bag- I peered up at her, and she smiled, kissing my nose. We snuggled for a few minutes, but then the games started; truth or dare was first.

"Anthony, truth or dare?" Ann Marie asked.

"Truth."

She thought a moment. "Do you wear boxers or briefs?" she asked.

I blushed furiously- everyone peered at me excitedly, and when I didn't answer, Ann Marie pressed farther.

"Or do you just not wear any and go commando?" she asked.

I blushed even redder- my ears flamed up. "No," I murmured.

"Well?" everyone asked.

I sighed. "Boxers…" I mumbled. All the girls in the room giggles and whispered to one another excitedly. Ann Marie smiled, and the game moved on with me daring Chelsie to swallow an Alka-Seltzer tablet whole; she did so with no problem…getting a serious case of uncontrollable belches afterwards. It went around the room, and finally reached me again, with Jackson declaring the game over. We all checked our phones; it was already 10:30. We chatted for a while, occasionally stealing a kiss when Mrs. Levitz wasn't looking.

11:00 rolled around, and we were all ordered to get to bed. I rolled into my sleeping bag and closed my eyes.

"Mr. Holland needs me to supervise the room next to us for the night; we are a little short on chaperones tonight, so I believe that I can trust you. You are all very responsible kids, and I hope that we will not have a repeat of the incident a decade ago." she shuddered and stepped out, closing the door behind her and leaving us all in the dark.

We all waited a moment before the talking started.

"Is she crazy?" Ann Marie asked excitedly, "Leaving all these teenagers by themselves…"

I chuckled, and she gestured to my sleeping bag. "Hey, help me with this." she said as she unzipped her sleeping bag all the way; I copied her, and she zipped them up together, making one big sleeping bag. I grabbed my pillow and crawled in next to her.

"Better watch them," Trevor warned, "we may be getting some free porn pretty soon."

I rolled my eyes and snuggled in next to Ann Marie; she, however, had…other plans. She reached over and cupped my face, kissing me passionately while her other hand slid down my chest- I rolled closer to her and moaned slightly at the feeling of her hips on mine. We pulled away and I kissed her cheek once.

"Goodnight." I said.

"Night…" she breathed groggily.

I hugged her to my chest and quickly fell asleep, though the rest of the room buzzed with a hyper, anxious aura;

They were still waiting for their little 'show'.

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THE NEXT EVENING

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We all headed back home the next morning, though I was still dazed form 'sleeping' with Ann Marie; I would be in heaven if I could wake up every morning to see her lying in my arms, her auburn curls spilled out into a halo-like fan around her perfect face. Everyone headed out- the girls to the salon to get their hair, nails, and whatever else done, the guys heading off to kill time:

Tonight was prom night.

After I dropped Ann Marie off, I came in quietly through my front door, my duffel slung over my arm.

"How was it?" my Mom called.

"Good," I answered, "though it wasn't much fun sleeping on the hard linoleum floor in the biology lab."

My Dad chuckled and told me to toss my dirty clothes down the chute; I did so, tossing my bag before collapsing onto the bed; I needed a nap. I stretched out, and just before sleep claimed me, there was a knock on my door. My Dad popped his head in.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" he asked.

"No," I yawned, not opening my eyes, "I'm just about to take a nap."

"Oh," he answered, "Well, I just came up to let you know that your mother and I are going on a hunting trip tonight. Everyone is going, and we won't be back until tomorrow afternoon- there won't be anyone here when you get home tonight, but we'll want to hear all about it tomorrow."

I smiled. "Hunting, huh?" I asked.

His eyes narrowed. "Yes," he said cautiously.

"Are you sure that's all you and Mom will be doing, Dad? Really?"

"Stop it." he smiled.

I grinned, and he shut the door, leaving me to my nice, long nap.

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AMPOV

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I peered cautiously at my reflection in the mirror, trying to decide whether to wear my hair up or down. I donned my bathrobe-the one with the rubber duck on it- and my slippers, standing in the bathroom, all of my makeup and hair-care products scattered on the counter. I had already put on my makeup, and I peered around the doorframe; my dress and heels were in the exact same place I had left them, reclining on my bed.

I turned to re-address my reflection and decided with a down-do; I blow-dried my long locks and applied almost every de-frizzer known to woman. When I was satisfied, I touched up my makeup for the third time before dancing out to pull my dress on (from the bottom up- it was not very comfortable to dress this way, but I wanted to look perfect for Anthony). Rummaging through my jewelry box, I found a pair of hoop earrings and a silver chain necklace, putting them on to finish the outfit. I plugged in my iHome, looking for something to make me feel fierce, powerful. I checked the clock: 6:50. Suddenly, I came across the perfect song; Kelly Clarkson's _I'm Already Gone. _I danced around (amazing that I could do that in these heels) singing along.

_There is nothing you can say, sorry doesn't cut it babe,_

_Take the hint and walk away, cause I'm gone…_

I went on like that for almost ten minutes- I got so absorbed in my power hype that I didn't hear the sound of a car pulling up to our house.

"Ann Marie, Anthony's here!" my Dad called. I swallowed hard and reached out to turn off my iHome, smoothing my hair and dress before turning to walk to the stairs. Anthony had told me that he had not gone to Junior prom, because he didn't have anyone he wanted to go with- I had just smiled and told him that I had not gone, either…though it was for a completely different reason than his.

I reached the top and looked down; there he was, looking more than handsome in his simple black tux, adorned with white cuffs, a grey tie, and gold cufflinks. His hair was no different than it usually was, still unruly in the way that drove me and every other female being wild. My stomach was in knots as I descended the huge staircase, being very careful not to trip and sprawl down it. When I reached the bottom, I embraced Anthony, who handed me my corsage; a single white lily with a few light pink baby's breath around it.

"It's perfect." I smiled, kissing his cheek.

He kissed my forehead, and I remembered something.

"Dad, this is my boyfriend, Anthony Cullen." I said. The two shook hands, and I pulled out my arsenal of 'good boyfriend facts' that I had been rehearsing for three days. "Anthony is a straight A student, captain of the baseball team, and a very good listener." I bragged, making Anthony blush.

My father still gave me his famous 'I'm not too sure of this," look, and I widened my eyes at him, trying to get the message across that I loved Anthony no matter what he thought…though that's exactly what I had said about _him_, and look how _that _turned out.

Anthony checked his watch. "We'd better go," he said, "It was lovely to meet you, Mr. McClain. Don't worry, I'll have her home early."

"No hurry," my father said through narrowed eyes, "just keep her safe."

He nodded and ushered me out the door gently, warning me not to trip over the crack in the sidewalk. He held my door open for me, and I slid into the black Mercedes.

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ANPOV

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She. Looked. Gorgeous.

She looked kind of nervous as we drove toward the school, but, other than that…let's just say that I was hurting. She wore a short, slightly lighter than sapphire blue dress with a blue-grey ribbon thing around her middle, and this pair of super sexy high heels- the same shade of blue, but with a two inch heels and straps around the front to hold her feet into the shoes that were embedded with jewels that I thought were real. Her perfect curls cascaded in a bronze waterfall down her shoulders and back, her bangs pinned away. On her ears were good sized hoop earrings, and she wore a silver chain around her neck.

We chatted casually, complimenting one another's outfits, and pulled up to the building. There were five limousines in the parking lot; two white, two black, and one Hummer stretch that was canary yellow and stuck out like a sore thumb. I paid for our tickets and we went in, waiting at the gym door for Chelsie and Chris. They didn't look half bad, either- Chelsie was wearing a long, orange-pink dress that went well with her skin, and heels that matched the dress. Her hair was up, done up into a fancy bun, while Chris wore a suit, of course.

We all headed in, and you'll never guess what song was playing;

_Just dance, gonna be okay, da da do do,_

_Just dance, spin that record, babe, da da do do… _

"I hate this song, but everywhere I go, it's playing." I complained.

She smiled. "What's going on on this floor? I love this record baby but I can't see straight anymore…" she sang, purposely off pitch and exaggerated, mocking the song and artist (Lady Gaga…?)

We stood there for a moment, while Chelsie and Chris took immediately to dancing, stealing the occasional kiss. The song faded, and an even more surprising song came on the speakers; a Jonas Brothers song that I think was called _'When You Look Me In The Eyes'. _It was slow and sappy, perfect for a slow dance- I pulled Ann Marie into my arms and held her tightly as we began to sway to the music.

_When you look me in the eyes, and tell me that you love me,_

_Everything's all right, when you're right here by my side,_

_When I hold you in my arms, I know that it's forever, _

_I just gotta let you know, never wanna let you go…_

I leaned down to kiss Ann Marie gently, emotionally; that song may have been written for an obsessive thirteen year old, but it perfectly described how I felt about her. Things went on like that for about two hours, just us dancing and talking and kissing, having fun with our friends and one another. She sang along with '_Love Story' _when it came on, attracting the attention of everyone within earshot.

"Hey, Anthony?" she asked, "Can you get me some punch?"

I nodded and headed off through the crowd, between the dancing couples and the mosh pit near the DJ booth to grab a cup of the red fruit punch, hurrying back…apparently, I had missed something. Ann Marie and Tiff, Chad's girlfriend, were staring one another down on the sidelines of the dancing.

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

I was ignored. "Mind telling me exactly what is wrong with my dress?" Ann Marie hissed, her voice acidic and deadly.

"This isn't Vegas, honey!" Tiff spat, "Every girl here is wearing a dress that covers her knees at least, and here you are, showing everything off! I don't know what you thought you were keeping secret, but you've made it blatantly clear that you used to be a stripper!"

Ann Marie looked deeply offended; her eyes watered up, but still, she fought.

"You aren't one to talk!" she yelled, "You come to school every day with all of your non-existent stuff hanging out- news flash, honey, no one wants to see that!"

Tiff huffed and stomped off, but Ann Marie looked about ready to cry.

"Hey, it's okay." I said gently, "She's just jealous that she isn't as gorgeous as you are. She's too envious for you to acknowledge."

She looked up at me, still frowning. We hung out for about another hour before she asked to leave, and I could see why; Tiff was going around and whispering to everyone, pointing at Ann Marie. She struggled to pull her dress down even a little as we left. We made it outside of the external doors before I grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop.

"Hey," I said, "look at me."

She didn't.

"Look at me."

She huffed and looked cautiously up at me, just as her tears spilled over, running her mascara and leaving black rivers down her perfect face. Thunder cracked, and, out of nowhere, it started to pour.

"Listen to me- Tiff is a witch. Why do you think she's dating Chad? She is just jealous of your beauty, because she doesn't have it. She wishes she were you."

"No, she's right, Anthony! I look cheap!" she cried.

"No, you don't." I told her, "You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and I love you. Now, let's get you over to my place to get you cleaned up." I said, ushering her to my car. She settled in, and I reached out to put my keys in the ignition- she caught my hand and leaned in to kiss me deeply, massaging my tongue with her own. I grunted and held her face passionately, sucking on her bottom lip before moving down to kiss her throat, wet form the rain. I didn't realize that I had shifted until I was almost on top of her until she groaned as I massaged her sides. I sat up and ran my right hand through my hair before taking off.

. . .

We pulled up to my house, both of us quiet. She saw the living room light glowing through the rain, and bit her lip.

"Don't worry, no one's home." I said comfortingly, resting my hand on her thigh, "And you do not look like a stripper."

She smiled a small, comforting smile at me, and I gave her my jacket, shielding her as we made haste to the door. We stepped in, removing our shoes and wiping the crystals of water from our hair.

"So," she asked casually, "when can we expect your parents home?"

"Not until tomorrow. They've gone on…a camping trip. Why?"

"No reason."

We stood there for a moment more before I suggested that we go up to my room to dry off and change, a nervous lump in my throat.

"Annabelle won't mind if you borrow some sweats and a t-shirt from her. She has a whole department store in her closet." I smiled as we headed up the stairs. She smiled at me, and I handed her a towel from my bathroom. She began to pull the pins from her hair that were holding her bangs away from her face; I dismissed myself to the bathroom to change.

I closed the door behind me, sighing heavily as I stripped my tux off, changing into some more comfortable basketball shorts and a t-shirt, splashing some cold water on my face. I heard her moving around outside the door.

After a moment, I stepped out…only to see Ann Marie lounging on my bed…

In her underwear.

Yes, she wore nothing but her lacy bra and panties, and her hair was fanned out on one of my pillows. Her mouth was drawn into a tired/casual pout, and her eyes were half lidded. My eyes were wide, my face frozen in shock as she stood and walked up to me.

"Let me make you a man, Anthony." she whispered in my ear.

"W-What?" I asked.

"Let me please you; I want you so badly, I just can't wait anymore. I want this for us." she sighed, pressing her body against mine. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice sweet and innocent; "Let's make love."

I cupped her angel-like face, and there was a sound of thunder as we tangled on the bed.

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**A/N- Alright, if you want to see our favorite couple's prom stuff, got to my profile NOW! What are you waiting for? Christmas??**

**Okay, regarding a few other things: if you swallow an Alka-Seltzer tablet without water (or with for that matter) you will start burping- I don't suggest you try it. Don't ask me why a teacher would be stupid enough to leave a room of teenagers alone- I don't know. Nothing happened between Anthony and Ann Marie while they were in their dual sleeping bag (you know you wanted something to happen) ;)**


	12. After

**Okay, _that _happened…**

***This chapter is definitely one of the chapters that deserves the T+ rating.***

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EPOV

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I smiled to myself as I quietly approached the house- I was so glad that we had been able to come home early; Senior prom only happened once…for normal people. But, the first time was very important, and I wanted to hear all about it from Annabelle and Anthony.

Sure, I was less than ecstatic that Annabelle was not home- she had texted me this morning to tell me that she was studying for midterms at her friend Jessica's house; oh well, I could get the details of her night later. I crept slowly up the stairs, but then, I noticed something- there were two heartbeats coming from Anthony's room, two sources of slow breathing.

It couldn't be…

But it was. I opened the door just a crack to peer in…and surely enough, there they were, my son and his girlfriend, wrapped around one another under the sheets of his bed…nude. Meaning that they had had sexual intercourse.

The room smelled of sex, and there were articles of clothing scattered on the floor, both his and hers, some of them ripped. I took a deep breath to steady myself; fortunately, I couldn't see anything in the way of body parts. I leaned against the doorway, but then remembered something; protection. I snapped over to Anthony's side of the bed, where the trashcan was located, and breathed a sigh of relief, and then of shock when I saw not one, not two, but _three _well-used condoms and their wrappers in the trashcan, none of them broken or punctured, rendering them unusable- I hadn't even done that well the first time Bella and I made love!

I looked at my sleeping son's face; it was relaxed, almost relived looking. Ann Marie's face was happy, serene. Their bodies were tangled into a pretzel; legs braided together, arms wrapped around one another, faces touching. They looked so passionate, and the fact dawned on me that this would have happened last night no matter what, that it was supposed to happen, and that no force in the universe could stop it from occurring…because it was fate.

They were soul mates, and now I knew it as well as they probably did. Now, normally, I would huff and puff about how a seventeen-year-old boy would not know anything about love in it's true state, only the puppy dog version that most teenage couples shared, but this was different.

Was I somewhat unhappy that Anthony didn't save his innocence for marriage? Yes. But I had no right to nag at him for that, because neither did I, and he and Annabelle were conceived before Bella and I married. Plus, he earned points for using protection. Would he get a small lecture about thoughtlessness (they did it in our house…)? Yes. Was I truly angry to the point of grounding or punishing him? No.

Oh God, I realized, I am sitting here, staring at my son, in bed with his girlfriend, thinking about his love life. That's…unnatural. I pulled the door shut, and my phone vibrated.

How are they??? Bella had asked.

Let's just say that the condoms that Emmett gave Anthony got put to good use.I responded.

I decided to leave and come back when I had told Anthony we would arrive, later this evening- Annabelle would be back by then, and I was so anxious to hear how my little girl's night went.

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AMPOV

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My eyes fluttered open, and I felt the sun filtering in through the closed blinds of Anthony's room warming my shoulder; his face was on his pillow, his eyes closed. He looked like a sleeping angel.

I shifted slightly; my thighs were sticky with a little bit of blood from our…activity last night, and I could smell it. The room smelled strange- I reached out to brush a lock of hair from in front of Anthony's face, and his eyes fluttered open, the emerald pools stunning me with their severity. He smiled.

"Hello," he whispered, reaching up to stroke the side of my face.

"Hi," I responded, kissing his throat.

It was quiet for a moment- birds chirped outside, and rays of warm sunshine spilled in through the window. After a moment, I spoke.

"I need a shower." I said sheepishly.

He laughed. "And I need a smoke!" he answered.

I laughed with him, and we held one another for a few minutes.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starved." he yawned, "I think I'll go fix us some breakfast while you shower."

I smiled, and covered myself fully before heading to the bathroom.

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ANPOV

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I watched as Ann Marie shut my bathroom door behind her, stretching and listening to my spine crack. I grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans from my closet before heading downstairs to the kitchen. The carpet felt different under my feet; the air smelled different. The world looked, well…different.

A thought smacked me in the forehead; I wasn't a virgin anymore! I pulled my phone from my pocket and quickly dialed Trevor's number.

"Hello?" he grumbled after about ten rings.

"Oh my God!" I yelled, "Man, I had _sex_! With a _girl_!"

"Holy crap!" he exclaimed, "No way!"

"Way! In my parents house, too!"

"Oh my God!" he repeated.

"That's what she said." I smiled smugly, grabbing the eggs and bread from the fridge and pantry. We had a small conversation while I whipped at the eggs in a bowl, popping the bread into the toaster. I refused to give up a lot of details, just that it was amazing. He pressed and pressed, but I eventually hung up on him; the shower water stopped upstairs. Ann Marie appeared by my side a few minutes later, makeup-less and sporting a pair of Annabelle's sweats and a tank top. She kissed my shoulder.

"I feel so…content." she said, leaning against me as I slid our eggs onto two plates. She grabbed the toast from the toaster and we sat down to enjoy our food, just us in the silence of the empty house. Suddenly, a fly buzzed in between us. I reached up quickly to shoo the fly away, and Ann Marie nearly jumped out of her skin; she moved her arms to cover her face. I looked at her, worried.

"Did you think I was going to hit you?" I asked, horrified.

"No." she said quickly, pulling her arms back down.

"Then what was that reaction?"

"What reaction?"

I looked at her severely. "When I raised my hand, you moved to cover your face, like I was going to hit you."

"No I didn't," she laughed, trying to brush it off.

"Don't lie to me, please." I said seriously.

She huffed. "It's nothing." she assured.

Now I was getting a little angry. "No, it's something." I growled, "Tell me."

She said nothing.

"You can tell me anything."

Nothing still.

I huffed and leaned back in my chair, glaring at the ceiling. She sighed and took a few bites of her food. We sat there for what seemed to be the longest time, not saying or doing anything other than eating. We didn't speak to one another. We didn't interact with one another. We didn't even look at one another.

After a while, she caved.

"Alright," she huffed, "if you really must know, my last relationship wasn't with the best guy."

I blinked. "As in what?"

"As in the fact that he…beat me." she whispered.

I gasped. "Oh my God! Are you okay? That's sick!"

She shook her head. "I am fine now. There's nothing you or I can do about it now, and if we keep talking about it, it's just beating a dead horse."

It still bothered me greatly. "But, how? Why? When?"

She glared up at me over her eggs. "Will you just…drop it please?"

I shut my big mouth and finished my food, though every time I looked up at her, I only saw her beautiful face bruised and bleeding. What kind of monster would lay a hand on a woman like that? I couldn't imagine it at all.

Afterwards, I washed our dishes, and she set out to help me restore the house; anything that would tip my parents off about her staying the night had to be fixed or gotten rid of. We made the bed, and I grabbed a garbage bag to hide all of the incriminating evidence: the condoms, the bed sheet with a certain stain on it. When everything had been fixed to a T, we headed into the woods and burned the bag. I wasn't sure why I was so desperate to hide the fact that we had sex from my parents…

Oh yeah. My Dad.

He would be seriously ticked if he found out that we did it while they were gone, in their house. I would undoubtedly be on lockdown for the rest of my natural life (out in fifty to sixty YEARS) I knew that my Mom would be none too thrilled, but it was my Dad's anticipated reaction that scared the crap out of me.

"Can't we just throw these things away?" Ann Marie asked, huffing as we watched the last of the sheet burn, "Will your parents find out that easily?"

I nodded, my eyes wide. I diced up a lemon and sprinkled it with cinnamon, leaving the bowl in my room to rid it of the sex smell. It would be gone by the time my parents got home.

"Ready to go home?" I asked her. She nodded, and I drove her home slowly. Her father wasn't home, so we weren't in the line for a ton of questioning.

"You wanna come in?" she purred.

I gulped, and followed her in. we kissed for a few moments, and she went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water; I followed her, hoping to get something more than a chaste kiss. She grabbed a glass from the dishwasher and filled it with ice water, taking a big gulp while her eyes wandered the kitchen.

Suddenly, her eyes came to rest on something on the table; the glass slipped from her hand, shattering. Her eyes were wide, her face ashen.

"What?" I asked.

She simply stepped past me to pick up a piece of paper from the table; there, in spidery handwriting, were two simple words written:

I'M BACK.

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**A/N- Okay, okay, I know that this chapter bites really bad, but I'm in my final week of school, so I'm really busy. **


	13. Checkered Past

**A/N**- **Sorry for the whole month of wait. Grounded for three weeks, and had to take a very busy week to decide what I was going to do for this. Sorry, sorry, sorry.**

**Warning--This chapter is disturbing.**

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Ann Marie was shaking as the slip of paper slipped from her hand, fluttering to the floor and landing near her small foot, writing side up. Her back was turned away from me, and I could hear her breathing become ragged. I waited for a few tense moments before I spoke.

"Ann Marie?" I asked.

She turned abruptly, her face twisted in pain and some other emotion--fear.

When she spoke, her voice was quivering.

"Anthony," She breathed. "Umm…I think we took things too fast. I mean, we said that we loved each other after our first date, and I'm just…not ready for…that kind of commitment…right now…"

I was confused. More than confused, I was terrified and sad and angry all at the same time; I felt lightheaded.

"W-What?" I asked.

She sighed. "I just…need to…we need to…take a break."

"Why?" I squeaked. "I don't understand." Tears were beginning to come to my eyes.

Her own tears began to spill over--she stepped forward and put her hands on my chest, trying to push me toward the door and actually gaining a little leverage on me. I put my hands around her wrists and pulled them off of me, actually having to use effort. I was surprised, but not enough to really notice. She had always been strong.

"I'll leave," I promised, looking deeply into her eyes. "but not without an explanation. We made love last night, and now you're telling me that your not ready for a commitment? How can you say that?"

She was bawling now, waves of salty smelling tears spilling down her perfect face. "I can't tell you!" She cried. "I can't! Anthony, you're not safe with me! You never have been, and I couldn't' live with myself if anything happened to you!"

Okay, now I was _really _confused. "What? What do you mean 'If anything happened to me'?"

She collapsed onto the floor, landing on her knees at me feet, a fresh torrent of tears spilling down her face. She wailed something unintelligible, and I got on my knees next to her and took her face in my hands. She was gasping for breath, panting as she spoke.

"He…hurt…" She couldn't get it out. I waited rather nervously until she had a chance to breathe.

"Tell me." I ordered, not meaning to sound pushy.

She sniffled.

"I love you." I breathed.

She turned a complete 180 on me, lasing out in nothing but pure rage.

"Love me!?" She screeched. "You don't even know me! Anthony, everything you think you know about me is either a lie or a half lie!"

I was almost knocked flat onto my ass (I would've been had I not been sitting). I didn't even need to ask.

"Anthony," She whispered, sad again. "I wish that I could tell you…everything…"

"Then tell me!"

"I can't."

"You can. You can tell me anything."

She sighed. She was very quiet for a few long minutes; I could see the internal conflict in her eyes.

"I had so hoped to hold off on this conversation for a while." She mumbled.

Another few minutes passed.

"You tell me something first." She said.

"Anything."

I realized that wasn't exactly the best promise to make.

She looked me straight in the eye and asked "Why do your parents look so young?"

I quickly formulated a lie. "Well, they--"

But she cut me off with another, more snippy question. "And why is their skin so cold?"

This time I didn't answer. I was terrified; she knew. I could tell.

"They don't have heartbeats. I can hear that…They're vampires, aren't they, Anthony? And the other six?"

I was dumbfounded. How could she have figured it out? How did she know about the rest of my family? No human had ever noticed it, and if they had they must have disregarded it for a theory of their own. As for the heartbeats, their hearing wasn't sharp enough to distinguish their lack of…

"H-How can you tell?" I asked.

She took my hands in hers. "Anthony…my father is like them."

Shock. A feeling of stupidity: how had I not noticed that? I had even shook his hand and not noticed, but then again, I was pretty concentrated on how Ann Marie was looking in her prom dress. After all, he had to be at least thirty or so. As of right now, the whole scenario seemed like it happened years ago, though it was only yesterday.

"Really?" I asked. "That means that you're…" My eyes must be the size of serving plates by now. Did this mean what I thought it meant?

She nodded. "Half-vampire, like you. Yes. My father calls me a half-blood." She laughed quietly as she said this. "My father was…created…in 1818, and whoever made him left him there, so he's pretty unknown to most other vampires. He won't tell me what he did for all those years, but he met my mother when she was living in Alaska in the late nineties. He was very much in love with her, and soon he had to tell her what he was. He was very surprised when she accepted him for it, and soon they were married and expecting me."

I had a whole ton of questions to ask her, like how they were married and did the Volturi know about them, or her, but I didn't ask any of these. She continued.

"Of course, they didn't know that it was possible for them to conceive, what with my father being an immortal, but he heard from a friend of his that a human/vampire pair in Washington had children, they were convinced that I would turn our alright. And I did-- I was born the following March, so you and Annabelle would've only been a few months old. The friend I mentioned was the only vampire that was aware of my father's existence. Remember, he hasn't told me everything, so, there are patchy spots in the story. Anyway, they discovered that I had a…certain talent…"

She seemed to be nervous. I was still in shock. I wouldn't' be this surprised if someone told me that Trevor was really a girl.

"Umm…Anthony…I can…show people what I'm thinking…if I'm in physical contact with them. Like, if I were holding your hand, and I thought of a banana, you would see a banana. It works better on certain people, people I'm comfortable with, but it works with mortals and immortals alike."

She was blushing heavily, her frame trembling again.

"Does anyone in your…coven…have any special abilities?"

I gulped, and the words just poured out.

"Yeah. My Dad reads minds, my aunt sees the future, my uncle can manipulate emotions, and Annabelle can…move stuff with her mind."

"And you?"

I had to tell her. "I sense…aura." It was now my turn to blush.

"Oh."

We were both quiet, and I began to wonder if I was still in my bed with her at home, dreaming all of this.

"Can I hear more of the story?" I asked shyly.

She nodded. "I grew up pretty normally, and when I was fourteen we moved to Las Vegas. I attended a private school in one of the nicer neighborhoods, you know, dress code and all. When I got to be fifteen, I got a job as a waitress at one of the casinos on the strip-- I looked twenty, so no one ever questioned my age. I did that for about a month, before the boss moved me to desk service. He discovered that I was sort of a jack-of-all-trades, so I did almost every job in that casino, minus bar and…dancer…work. He also discovered that I was funny, and eventually I got my own dinner show for my comedy." She chuckled a bit. "God, I loved it so much. I made a lot of friends up there, and I got to be pretty popular. Good pay, too."

I nodded and listened intently, only interrupting with one question.

"When you said 'we' moved, you mean you and your dad, right? You sad that thing about your mom."

"I'm getting to it!" She scolded, but then her expression shifted to penitence. "That was sort of a half-truth. She was still alive."

I nodded.

"Well, one night, I had just finished my set--maybe you'd like to see." She reached out and took my hands again. "Close your eyes."

I did as I was told, and shapes and colors appeared behind my eyelids. Soon, I was seeing Ann Marie making it through a throng of people, dressed in jeans and Keds and a t-shirt.

"Anyway," She said. "I had just finished my set for the night, and I was ready to go down to a friend of mine's bar and just chill. But, I had to make it through the huge crowd we had that night, and while I was on the way out I ran into this guy."

I saw her run smack dab into the chest of a tall, well-muscled blonde guy. I could tell where this was going, and I was kind of envious-- the guy was pretty good looking. He wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling.

"He told me that he had just seen my show, and that he thought I was great and wanted to buy me a drink. Now, of course I wasn't legal drinking age, but I was known to have a beer here or there. He seemed like a nice guy, so I hung out with him for the night. His name was Jason Hartman, and he wanted to take me to dinner after my set the next night. I could tell what he was immediately, but I decided that I would let him wait to tell me what he was when he was comfortable with it, if he ever was."

"What--"

She looked at me like I was missing something obvious. Oh. Crap. There were far too may vampires in this story, and this one was a little…creepy to me. The vision snapped to the next night, and they were at a restaurant. Now he was actually speaking.

"You're really good looking." He said casually, eyeing her food curiously . "Is that any good?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"The date went pretty well. We started going out a lot, and pretty soon I was seeing him every day, spending most of my time with him. He was handsome, sweet, and charming, plus he had his own place. Though, for some reason, my family and friends seemed kind of lenient towards him."

Now there were several images of her dad and another woman staring at Jason filled my mind.

"We agreed to go steady--I thought I was in love. Really, I did. I started staying the night at his apartment on the West Side of the city, and that was when it started. One night, we got into an argument about me being late "home" from work, and right off the bat he accused me of messing around with someone. I wasn't. I just lost track of time talking to Emily, one of the dealers."

She showed me.

"Don't make me ask you again." Jason growled. "Who were you with?"

She slammed her purse down onto a small table. "No one! I told you that already! I was talking to Emily, and I just lost track of time!"

"Mm-hmm." He said sarcastically. "And I'm sure that Emily wears aftershave, 'cause you sure smell like it."

"Jason! I work in a casino. Of course I'm doing to be rubbing elbows with all kinds of people, men and women alike. I think you just need to take a chill pill and get your head out of your ass!"

I was shocked at what I saw next-- he reeled back and slapped her across the face, so hard that her head and torso jerked back and she cried out. Her eyes were wide, and there was a big red hand mark across her face. He was shaking and tense as she slumped onto a sofa at her side, clutching her face and letting tears spill out of her eyes.

"I can't believe you just hit me," She sobbed.

"No one had ever hit me. Never. My father didn't believe in spanking, neither did my mom. And for him to just reel back and hit me like that, it felt like he had just smashed a brick into my face." She said quietly, not in the memory, but now.

Suddenly, he was next to her on the couch, his arms around her, rocking her comfortingly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" He murmured to her. "I shouldn't have done that. But you shouldn't have pushed my buttons like that."

She rested her cheek on his shoulder, but her face was troubled.

"Normally, I would have ended it then, but there was something about him that kept me from leaving. He told me what he was, as did I." She gulped. "A week later, he hit me again and gave me a black eye. He apologized again, and I tried to cover it up with lots and lots of foundation, but of course my Dad could still see it."

First, I saw a vision of her applying makeup around a deep black bruise surrounding her left eye; my stomach churned. Then, I saw her standing in a lavishly decorated room with her father, and neither of them looked very happy.

"Has he been hitting you?" He demanded.

"No," She lied. "I fell down the stairs coming out of his apartment and he gave me some ice for it."

"And he had," She said in real time. "But only after he was through with his temper tantrum. Skipping ahead a bit, he was pretty cool for a while, and then he started getting a little more serious about me…doing something…with him. He'd try, and I'd turn him down, and of course that ticked him off. He'd slap me every once in a while. Eventually he accused me of getting it somewhere else, but I told him that I wasn't ready just yet, and that if he loved me he would wait for me. He told me that he didn't feel like waiting."

I was appalled.

"He made me quit my job, and he wanted to pull me out of school, trying to shut me in completely. The last straw was a big thing. I remember the date- March 21st, my seventeenth birthday. I was at Jason's, and he had made me dinner, and we were watching a movie on his couch when he decided to pull a move on me. I must admit that I had been afraid of him for awhile at that point. He tried to undress me, and I got scared and started screaming rape. It was the first thing that came to my mind…"

She trailed off, lost in her thoughts, and I saw the whole scene unfold.

"What are you doing?!" Jason growled. "Shut up!"

He covered her mouth with his hand, wrapping the other around her throat. He shook her violently by the neck; the color drained from her face, and mine as well. He began to slap her, pulling her up into a sitting position on the sofa where they had been laying; her eyes widened, and she tried to fight him, tried to scream, but his hand was still firmly clasped across her mouth.

I didn't want to see any more.

"What is wrong with you?" He demanded. He took his hand off of her mouth after a moment--her face was red and swollen and she was bleeding from the mouth; a hungry look entered his eyes, and his tongue swept out across her lip.

I gagged.

She shrieked, probably at the burn of his venom on her open wound, one of the many I had just seen him inflict her with. His mouth returned to hers, but she forced it away.

"Get off of me!" She wailed, standing up but swaying. "Don't ever come near me again! It's over!"

He stood abruptly, hovering a good eight inches over her. "No, it isn't." He said darkly. "I decide when I'm done with you, not the other way around, and I won't be done with you until I get what I want."

She headed for the door. "You don't own me. I'm telling my dad about this, and he will come after you, don't' think for a second that he won't. I will see whoever I want, and there isn't a single thing you can do about it."

"If I can't have you, no one can!" He hissed.

"Sure, sure."

And with that, she slammed the door and the vision ended, snapping to a few weeks later. She was out with a group of people, still bruised, but happy.

"I didn't think much of his threat, though I realize now that I should've. He was watching me for weeks until he decided to act--my Dad had gone to his apartment to "talk" to him, but it was empty. I was supposed to come home to change my clothes one night before I was going to a party, but I decided to just go in what I had on because I was running late. Jason didn't know that. He waited in watch for me to come home, but I never did…"

"It was your mom, wasn't it?" I asked.

She took her hands from mine; I opened my eyes, not surprised to see her crying again.

"Oh, Anthony, he took my Mom away from me! I was the one he wanted, and she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time! I was supposed to die, not her!"

She sobbed into my shoulder for a good ten minutes; I cried with her.

"After we found out, we moved. My Mom had to be buried in Vegas because it was faster than cremating her and sprinkling her ashes in Anchorage like she wanted them. I was so scared. That's why I seemed so shy for a while. But when I met you, it was like you were meant for me, and now I've put you in this with me. I'm so sorry, Anthony!"

I held her tighter to my chest. "Don't be sorry," I whispered. "I won't let anything happen to you. I promise."

More crying.

"I need to call my Dad, now. He could've been watching us just now." She gasped. "He could've been watching us last night!"

_Ewww! _I thought, but then I realized how much danger we were in. Her phone was in her hand then. She held the phone securely to her ear, though her hand shook.

"Dad?" She said after a moment. "He found us."

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**A/N- Again, I'm sorry. Especially if that was confusing.**


	14. Help Me

**A/N- Alright…here comes Annabelle…sigh.**

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MEANWHILE, ANBPOV

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"Dad!" I called as I stepped in through the front door of our house. I slammed it behind me and threw my purse onto the coffee table, fuming. I swear that steam was coming out of my ears.

"Yes, Sweetheart?" He called back, appearing on the couch. "How was your night?"

"Terrible." I hissed. "It was absolutely terrible."

He looked surprised; his eyebrows raised and his lips puckered. "Why? You seemed so excited and happy last night before you left."

"It's your son!" I screeched: out of the corner of my eye, I saw a few of the mosaics on the wall quiver. "It's all Anthony's fault!"

Now he was very confused. His brow was now puckered and he frowned a bit. "What has Anthony done?"

"Everyone keeps asking me about them! Him and Ann Marie! I mean, at first it wasn't so bad to let everyone know that they were dating, but it just started getting worse over these past few weeks! I mean, for Christ's sake, Dad, I was with Reeve last night, and he asked me if they'd had sex yet! How gross is that?"

His face was frozen for a long moment-- I recognized his "pondering face". Then he spoke.

"What time did you get home last night?"

"Eleven." I said evenly, putting some resolve into my voice.

He narrowed his eyes. "And do you still believe that your brother and Ann Marie are still…sexually inactive?"

I thought carefully for a moment. It seemed that he knew something that I didn't. Carefully I answered "Yes…"

He frowned now and sat back on the couch, looking heavily at me.

"Are you sure that you were home at eleven last night, Annabelle?" He said. "Because if you were home at all, you would have come across Anthony and Ann Marie in bed together upstairs."

I blinked. And blinked again.

"Where were you last night, young lady?"

Natural instinct kicked in; shift the attention off of you. This was helpful to use when a nasty or unsavory rumor was being spread about you.

"Well, I don't think that that is the thing we should be focusing on here! I mean, Anthony was the one who had sex last night, not me! He took advantage of you guys not being here, and all I did was stay out for a little longer than I was supposed to. I haven't committed the worst crime here. You aren't even supposed to be home yet!" I ranted a little desperately.

"That is not what I asked you."

He could sit here for days and wait for an answer. I didn't even know what I was thinking in trying to lie to him. I kept my thoughts about goldfish for a moment, but then sank down onto the couch and put my head on his shoulder.

"Oh, Dad…" I said sadly. "I didn't mean to stay out all night. Honestly I didn't. But I was with Reeve last night, like I said, after prom was over. We went over to his house…his parents were out for some party…and he tried to get me our of my dress. I told him to stop, that I wasn't ready for that, and he got really mad at me and he kicked me out. I was headed home. I wanted to talk to Mom, but then I remembered that you guys weren't home, so I went to Emily's instead. I showed up at her doorstep at midnight, dripping wet and crying, and she took me inside and gave me a change of clothes." I laughed once. "I fell asleep on her couch, and I got up and came here."

I was crying now. He put his arm around me and pulled me to his chest, rocking me slightly and murmuring comfortingly in my ear.

"Oh, Sweetie…I am so sorry. Why didn't you just tell me? Why did you lie to me?" Though he was saying it gently, I could hear the rage bubbling under his words.

I put my face in my hands. "It wasn't really that simple. He didn't just tell me to get out. He called me some really bad names, and I just feel really dirty about the whole thing. I'm embarrassed." I mumbled into my palms.

"What did he call you?" He demanded angrily.

I bit my lip. I couldn't repeat them…out loud. So I composed the list in my head. He listened and looked into my mind, his face growing enraged farther as he scanned the list.

"I'll kill him." He growled.

"I don't even know what that last one even means." I sobbed, leaning in and sobbing more into the crook of his neck.

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ANPOV

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I was holding Ann Marie when her father came in, less than five minutes after she'd called him. She was crying into my shoulder, quietly sniffling and rubbing her face on my shirt. He appeared in the living room doorway, eyes wide and face ashen, even with it's pale tone. It was the first time I'd truly looked at him.

He had a thick mop of bright red hair, a slender face, and despite his perfection was built with a frame of a thritysomething. He was tall, probably '6 "3 or something around there.

"Ann Marie," He said. Did I detect a slight Irish accent?

She looked up from my shirt. "Dad," She breathed. "We can't get away this time. I can feel it. We won't be able to just slip away like last time. He's watching me too closely, I mean, he was in the house!"

He looked shocked. "What?"

She held up the note. He scanned it for a moment, and he growled. I expected him to say something about the slip of paper in her hand, but instead he turned his focus on me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

I was about to open my mouth, but Ann Marie came to my rescue.

"He's bringing me home. From his house."

"You were there all night." I had a feeling it wasn't a question he was asking.

"Yes." She said. She rubbed her face into my shirt again.

He huffed and pulled his right hand through his fiery red hair. "I can't believe this." He murmured. He looked as if he were about to say something more, but stopped when she started crying. Ah, I knew this trick. I'd seen Annabelle use it multiple times with Dad. No father can stand to watch his little girl cry. Well, neither could I, because she was my girl too. I held her face, tilting it upwards to make her look at me, and began to wipe her rolling tears away with my thumbs as they made their way down her cheeks.

"Hey…hey." I murmured, kissing her forehead. "It's alright. It'll be alright. My parents have been through this same situation before. They can help us. It's alright."

I looked up at her father. He was staring at us, at her in my arms, and I tried to communicate to him with my eyes, to tell him that I loved her, that she was safe with my family and me. He spoke as her sniffles quieted.

"How many vampires do you "live" with, per se?"

"Eight. My sister is half, like me."

He nodded. "I know Jason. Even he isn't ignorant enough to go against nine vampires and two half-bloods. But he damn sure will try to outwit us. Now, we need to get both of you to the rest of them, because I can feel that he's not watching us at the moment. How fast can you run? Or do I have to carry you too?"

"I got my Dad's speed." I smirked.

"Show me."

I gently lowered Ann Marie to the couch and flashed to the other end of the room in the time it took her to blink. She gasped, and he nodded.

"Alright. I won't carry you, but I'm not letting you carry her, either."

I nodded as well, and Ann Marie rose to climb on her fathers back.

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AMPOV

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I usually loved running with my father. Well, not really running _with _him, but riding on his back while he ran was usually almost as exhilarating. But not today. Even as I looked behind me at Anthony, running slightly slower to keep an eye on me, I couldn't help but feel riddled with guilt. He was too good to me. Putting his life on the line to protect me.

The dark trees of the thick forest flashed by quickly, and we arrived at his ever-more familiar house in under a minute-and-a-half; his parents were home. I could smell them.

"Wait here." Anthony said. "I'll need to prepare them. My Dad doesn't usually like strangers in the house."

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EPOV

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My distracted ears picked up the sound of Anthony's slightly heavy footfalls as I was attempting to get Bella out of her top; we were in our bedroom, and Annabelle was in her room, napping. I smiled at my wife, and we flashed out onto the living room sofa, situating ourselves just as our son came in the doorway.

"Well, well, well," I mused. "Just the man we wanted to see."

"And we mean "man" literally." Bella giggled.

His ears turned bright red in a matter of seconds. "We need to talk." He said.

"I'll say."

He stood a few feet away from us, hands clasped behind his back, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, a habit of his when he was nervous or scared to an extreme degree.

"You can sit down, son." I said.

He shook his head.

"Why not?" Bella asked.

He cleared his throat and looked to the doorway; Ann Marie stepped in quietly. Her face was solemn as she came to Anthony's side-- he put his arm around her waist and held her close. Both of them looked at us.

"Well if it isn't the girl that made our little boy a man." Bella said jokingly.

"Hello, dear." I smiled.

_How do they know about that? _Anthony wondered absentmindedly; this worried me. Normally, he would be "freaking out"-- sweating, mumbling, shaking. He seemed genuinely unconcerned about our knowledge of his becoming sexually active.

"We need your help." Ann Marie said.

My eyes narrowed. "What's this about?" I asked.

Both of them looked toward the doorway once more, and a man stepped in behind them; he was redheaded, tall, and pale. He was…an immortal.

"Who is he?" I demanded. My territorial instincts kicked in, and I suppressed a growl as I stood. Bella stood as well, but she seemed more intrigued than defensive. How had we not heard him? And the others-- the house that they were all living in was only a few miles from here. They surely would have heard or smelled him.

"Patrick McClain." He said. He had a slight accent-- Irish, I believe-- and he smartly kept his distance from me.

"McClain?" Bella asked, shooting Ann Maria a look.

"He's my dad." She said quietly.

I took a second to consider this, but Bella beat me to the kill.

"Wait…does that mean that…?"

Anthony and Ann Marie nodded. "Yes." They said simultaneously.

I felt my jaw slack. "She is an…immortal as well?"

She nodded. "But that's not what we came here to tell you."

She then unfolded a sickening story of past abuse by a vampire lover who was now after her. She spared not a single detail, and at several points I was afraid Anthony might vomit, or that Patrick might just rip into one of our walls. I myself felt nauseous, simply because it was so inhuman (so to speak), the things this boy put her through. Bella would have been crying, had she possessed the ability. Perhaps I would have, as well.

"That's sickening!" Bella moaned when she had finished.

"Simply horrible." I said.

She held up a dainty hand. "Please. I don't need your sympathy. Just your help." She said.

"You would like us to guard you." I stated.

"Well…not just me." She said. "He's seen me with Anthony. He's watched me hug him, touch him, kiss him. Heck, he may have even been watching us…last night."

"And this thought didn't occur to you last night because you were too preoccupied with letting him deflower you." Patrick said somewhat sourly, looking blatantly and accusingly at Anthony. He gulped.

She glared at her father. "That is not the matter at hand, Dad. And what I do is my business."

They looked hardly at one another for a few very tense moments, before she spoke again.

"Regardless, Jason is a very jealous person, if you can call him that. He's no doubt completely beside himself with rage. He thought that I would never be with anyone. He thought that I would come crawling back to him." She drew in a shaky breath. "But, regardless, he's beyond intelligent. He won't give up. We'll need all the help we can get."

"And I know who else we can call…" Bella mused.

_Wonder if he'll come…of course he'll come. He's never seen the kids before, and I don't believe that he stopped morphing. Hmmm… _

I felt my eyes widen; she couldn't possibly be thinking…

Before I could finish my thought, my whole family burst into the front door, with Carlisle leading them, as always. The sound of the door opening made Anthony jump, and he pulled Ann Marie protectively behind him, hiding her from view. Jasper and Alice filed in last; Jasper's defensive instincts were kicking as well, the one's Maria had instilled in him, you could tell by his demeanor. Alice was holding his arm and smiling softly at him.

"We heard it all." Esme said.

"Yeah. Sorry we're late." Rose said.

Jasper glared at Patrick.

"Where is she?" Emmett asked.

Ann Marie stepped out from behind Anthony, smiling a shy smile. Everyone was very quiet for a whole ten seconds, the equivalent of five minutes to a vampire. I had to suppress several comments and laughs at some of their thoughts.

_Holy crap! She's hot! Way hot! How did **your** __son manage to bag that, Ed? _Emmett wondered.

_Wow. She's really beautiful. You can tell that she's half vampire, though. Bet she wouldn't be so pretty if she was full human. _Rose thought bitterly.

_Oh, my. How lovely is she? _Esme sighed happily.

_Beautiful_. Carlisle whistled mentally, surprising me. _Nothing at all like my Esme though. _He added proudly_. _

Alice thought. _I think I'll check the future for the sound of wedding bells. And babies crying. _

Jasper was stricken_. Oh my good Lord._

Ann Marie looked around uncomfortably, and all of our eyes shifted away from her. She returned to Anthony's side, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. We all took places in the living room; Ann Marie and Anthony on the loveseat in the middle of the room, Bella and I on the left side couch with Patrick perched on the end, Emmett and Rosalie situated near the window on a recliner with her in his lap. Carlisle, Esme, Alice, and Jasper all squeezed onto the remaining couch.

"Well, there are several things we need to know about this Jason, my dear." Carlisle said. "For example, does he have any…abilities?"

She was very quiet for a moment; even her mind was silent.

"He can make you say things…" She whispered coarsely.

Anthony's brow puckered. "What?"

She shook her head. "He can get into your head and control what you say. He used to do that to me a lot. He made me say things to him…" Another absentminded shake. While she was remembering, I caught a sample of the things she was referring to; I didn't know whether to be horrified or disgusted.

"You didn't tell me that." Patrick interceded. Everyone turned to look at him.

"I didn't think that it was a big deal. My friends talked to their boyfriends like that all the time." She said without emotion. She slyly touched Anthony's shoulder for a moment, and he gagged.

"Do you have a gift, dear?" Esme asked suddenly.

_Why does everyone keep calling me "dear"? _She wondered, but she nodded, and explained. In the middle of her explanation, Annabelle floated down the stairs on her back, rubbing her eyes. She was dressed in a lime green tank top and plaid pajama bottoms, her hair down and dangling towards the floor. She looked over and spotted Ann Marie and Patrick and fell to the floor.

"Yaah!" She screamed. "What is she doing here? Who's he?" She demanded.

We all stood, and I flashed over to make sure she was alright; she took my hand, but then broke away to look at Patrick and Ann Marie.

"Who are you?" She asked again.

"He's my dad." Ann Marie huffed. "Just calm down."

Annabelle looked at me. "What's this about?" Came out of her mouth. But what came out of her mind was _Is all this just because they had sex last night?_

I shook my head, and we all explained.

"Now, we need to think logically about this." Carlisle said. "This is similar to what we had to do with Bella when she was human,"

"But it's more personal." Alice said. "He's not just tracking her to feed on her, or just to hunt her. He's doing it…"

"For revenge." Emmett finished. "She should probably stay with us."

Bella stood suddenly. "I need to go make a phone call." She said.

"Mom?" Anthony said, protest strong in his voice.

"I'll be right back, sweetie." She said.

We all turned back to Ann Marie. "I don't want you going to school." Patrick said.

"Me either. Any of you." I agreed.

Anthony sighed, but leaned back on the loveseat and rubbed his temple with his right index finger. Ann Marie didn't say or do anything, just continued to berate herself mentally. But Annabelle felt it necessary to voice her opinion on the matter.

"What? No! I can't quit going to school!" She said loudly.

"Now, Annabelle, be reasonable." I said.

Her chocolate eyes widened. "_Reasonable_? No, Dad, _you _be reasonable. I am the head cheerleader on the squad, two weeks away from graduating, and you just expect me to drop everything and sit at home? You're nuts!"

Anthony rolled his eyes.

"It's for your safety!" Ann Marie said loudly, breaking her silence.

Annabelle glared at her. "How am I not safe in this? I'm not dating you! Just because your boyfriend hit on you and tried to get in your pants doesn't mean that you can ruin my life! Maybe you should've just let him have it. Maybe then we wouldn't have this problem!"

Then, Ann Marie snarled at her, so loudly that Anthony jumped a good inch and a half off of the couch. It was a feral, animalistic sound that I hadn't heard in a while.

"Don't' you _ever _say _anything _like that _ever _again, you selfish _bitch_!" Ann Marie shrieked.

A strange keening noise came from deep in Annabelle's throat, and suddenly, Ann Marie went flying across the room and into the north wall, crashing into it; her body left a deep hole in the plaster and knocked a few things to the floor. But she ricochet off the wood and fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. Anthony shot out of his seat and bolted to Ann Marie's side, while I went to Annabelle and grabbed her so that she couldn't hurt her anymore.

"Calm down everyone!" I yelled. Where was Bella?

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ANPOV

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"Are you alright, baby?" I asked Ann Marie frantically, stroking the side of her face to clean away the plaster dust. Her eyes flew open, and she jerked into a standing position, her eyes wild.

"You're done now!" She screamed, her body tensing to spring. I wrapped my arms around her waist to keep her still, but she dragged me forward, unbelievably strong. I looked up at my dad, where he was restraining Annabelle, but they were both fighting to get near each other.

"Stop!" Jasper yelled. I felt a sudden wave of absolute exhaustion, and we three half-bloods dropped to the floor, panting heavily. He looked heavily at my dad, and Patrick stepped in.

"I don't want your daughter anywhere near Ann Marie." He said firmly. "Not if she's going to go around throwing people through walls!"

"They'll be staying in the same house." I growled, looking at Annabelle.

Could this day get any worse?

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BPOV

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I tapped my foot impatiently as I listened to the dial tone on my cell phone. I huffed; I really hoped that he would answer. We really needed his help. I had run a good fifty miles away from the house, so I could have some privacy; I hoped everyone at home was alright.

I counted the number of times the phone rang.

One…two…three…

It had been almost eighteen and a half years since I had seen him. I missed him so much. He was already none too happy with me being with Edward before I got pregnant with his children, let alone when I announced that I was going to be a mama.

Four…five…six…

Renee had always taught me that after ten rings of the phone that you should hang up, because otherwise it made you seem desperate or stalker-like. I laughed once.

Seven…eight…nine…

"Hello?" A husky voice asked at the end of the line.

I smiled coyly. "Hi, Jake…"

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A/N- I only have one thing to say:

_Duh __**duh**__**dummm!**_


	15. The Calvary Arrives

**A/N- Alright. Here's more.**

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THE NEXT DAY, ANPOV

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No one slept that night. At least, anyone who normally could. Annabelle was too steamed, Ann Marie was too worried, and I was too restless and scared. My parents had surprisingly agreed to let Ann Marie and I sleep in the same room, though Patrick seemed less than thrilled about the idea. They probably knew that we were not in the mood for sex, and even if we were, we probably wouldn't do it with everyone listening on a level of super sensitivity. But Ann Marie had sat, staring at my bedroom wall, all night. She'd rested her head on my shoulder and just…sat there. We didn't talk. We didn't do _anything_.

The next morning, we were all tired and quiet. Jasper, Emmett, and our fathers had constantly manned the house while Rose, Esme and my mom branched out to cover the surrounding area. Alice stayed inside with us and kept looking into the future for any danger. She had just sat there on the loveseat, hugging her knees to her chest, eyes shifting in and out of focus. It kind of freaked me out, but Ann Marie didn't seem to mind.

I stared absentmindedly into my cereal, watching it turn to unappetizing mush while Ann Marie sat and stared at the tabletop.

"You should eat something." I murmured.

She shook her head. I looked up at her; I noticed that her face was ashen. All the spring had gone from her hair, and her eyes were sunken into her skull. I reached out across the table and placed my hand on hers.

"Please."

She shook her head once more, but didn't lift her head to look at me. I got up from my chair and went to her side, getting on my knees so I could see her face. Her eyes were watery. I craned my neck so that I could see straight into her deep hazel pools.

"Hey," I said. She turned her eyes to look at me, and I leaned forward to press my lips to hers, just once, very softly. She squeezed her eyes shut and pushed forward, stroking the side of my face, and for a moment we were normal again. We were _us_; Anthony and Ann Marie, two teenagers, boyfriend and girlfriend, lovers, just kissing. It seemed like forever since we had been sneaking her home and found that note that completely unraveled everything, but it was seriously only yesterday. I couldn't wrap my mind around it.

Suddenly, she pulled away and I said "Please eat something."

Another shake. "I can't."

"You can."

She glared at me. "You don't understand." She growled. "When I say I can't I literally mean that I can't."

"Why not?" I asked.

She looked away again; her face was ashamed.

"I…Ever since I was old enough to do things for myself, I've lived on a very strategically balanced diet of regular food and…blood." She sighed. "I haven't had any blood in four days. I can't keep anything else down at this point."

I raised an eyebrow. "How do you know?"

She glared at me again. "You want proof? Here's your proof."

She reached across and took a banana from the saucer next to my bowl and wolfed down several bites. She swallowed, and then stared at me blatantly. _And this proves what? _I wondered. But then, she made that noise that people make when they're about to throw up, and she bolted from the chair and to the sink, where I watched as the chunks of banana, coated in bile, fell from her mouth as she gagged. I cringed, and nearly hurled myself as I watched her rinse her own vomit down my kitchen sink and turn to me, wiping her mouth with the side of her hand.

"Are you happy now?" She asked. "Huh? My body completely rejects it. I don't have the nutrients to digest it or even get it all the way down my esophagus."

I blinked. "I'm sorry." I said, a tad irritated. "I didn't know. I've never…drank blood…before."

She sighed. "I've been doing it since I was three. At first, my Dad brought it to me in little metal cups, but pretty soon I was hunting on my own. I don't do people, though. Only animals."

"Why'd you wait for three days, though?" I asked.

She smiled. "After I drink blood, I look…different. My eyes turn this weird orange color for a few hours; I put in hazel contacts to keep people from noticing. But my skin gets really white, then flushes, and tingles all over. It's nice." She moved to sit down in the living room, next to Alice, who was finally back in real-time. She smiled at Ann Marie, and took her by the hand. I leaned against the doorway.

"You were saying?"

"I decided to go without…my other sustenance…before prom so that I wouldn't have to wear the contacts while we made love."

"Ha!" I exclaimed. "I knew you planned that! I knew it!"

"But you went with it."

Alice laughed.

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BPOV

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Rose, Esme and I were patrolling the mile radius around our houses when the message came:

_You aren't going to come welcome us?_

If my heart had been beating, it would have started racing in excitement; I could hear the sound of approaching footsteps of three heavy animals.

"Rose, Esme?" I called just loud enough for them to hear. "They're here."

I heard two hums of confirmation, and then zipped back to the house to greet my guests. I stood firmly in the doorway and watched for a few minutes, just steadying my breathing as I saw three big, stark figures appear out of the thick, foggy trees. Their glittering black eyes seemed to penetrate my very stone being, their thick fur rustling in the slight breeze. All three had hunks of cloth tied to their right hind legs, and I smiled.

"Quil, Embry, Jake." I smiled and nodded in greeting.

All three barked, not quite in response, but as a warning. I smiled and covered my eyes with my hands; I felt a big 'woosh' of breeze, and waited for their signal, listening to the sound of material rustling.

"Alright. You're good."

I walked up to them and threw my arms around Jacob's neck, applying the right amount of pressure.

"Hi!" I squealed excitedly. He squeezed me back generously, surprising me a little, before pulling back. He smiled, and I could tell that he'd aged just a little, no more than a year or so. He'd cut his hair short again. His russet skin crinkled around his eyes, and he looked like himself. Hopefully, he forgave me for how awful I had been to him.

"How's Billy?" I asked.

"He's good. Sick for a while, but he's doing good now. He said to tell you hello, and to wish us luck."

I nodded, and then turned to the side. "Quil, how are you? How's Claire?"

He smiled as we embraced; I didn't fail to notice the near shudder that shook his body. Either he was nervous, or he was reacting to the temperature of my body.

"I'm great-- she's getting so big!" He said, a teasing light in his eyes.

"I'd think so." I said. "She's what, twenty, twenty-one now?"

"Twenty-two in June. But that's not what I'm talking about."

"She's getting _big._" Embry emphasized.

All of them had coy smiles on their faces now. I thought for a moment; he either meant that she was getting fat, or that she was--

"No!" I smiled.

"Yes!" They all three mocked my tone.

"Oh, Quil!" I squealed. "You're gonna be a daddy! Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Little boy."

"Awww!" I squeezed him again, then turned to Embry, hugging him as well. I gave them the down-low on our little…situation…and then lead them inside of the house.

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JPOV (Jacob's point of view)

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I must admit, Bella hadn't changed a bit. She still hugged me like she had way back when, though her grip was a little better. She reacted to Quil's news just as she would have if she were human, and she seemed happy. Not only that, but she looked absolutely gorgeous. Her hair was a little longer than it had been when I'd last seen her, and it was shiny and bouncy. Her figure was more hourglass-like, and her bust was…fuller.

_She's a married woman. _I reminded myself. I couldn't help but be a little bitter.

"I heard there was a couple of people we were supposed to meet." I said.

Bella nodded, and I saw a tall, bronze-haired girl shuffle into the room. Behind her entered the bloodsucker-- er, Edward. No, wait. It couldn't be Edward. He had green eyes, and I could hear his heart thudding gently in his chest. They hadn't taken notice of us yet, I don't know how, but embraced instead.

"Let me guess, your son." Quill said.

"Mm-hm." She nodded. "That's Anthony."

"And the chick, she's your daughter?" Embry assumed.

She laughed. "Watch and decide for yourself."

We all watched as they continued to hug…but then they kissed. At first, I didn't think much of it; I mean, I had kissed Rebekah and Rachel on the mouth before, but not in a few…twelve years. But then, I saw a little tongue action, and his hands started to wander…She pushed his hands away and scolded him playfully.

"Oh!" Quil said.

Bella smiled coyly. "Still think that's his sister?"

"Better not be!" Embry said.

"I saw tongue!" I groaned.

The two jumped, and looked toward us; their faces paled a bit, and they approached us carefully.

"Mom?" The kid, Anthony, asked, obviously wanting to know who we were.

Bella smiled. "These are my friends Jacob, Quill, and Embry." She said. "They already know, and they're here to help us."

"How?" The girl asked. "I can see that they're big guys, Bella, but they're still human. How are they going to help us? They could be killed!"

I smiled at her obvious worry for the lives of people she didn't even know: she was such a sweetheart. Pretty hot, too. But she was obviously Anthony's girlfriend, the chick we were supposed to be protecting. Why was every hot girl within my reach already spoken for? God, if he did exist, was jacking with me, and I didn't find it funny.

"We'll show you later." Quil winked at her. Anthony growled deeply in his chest, and Embry looked at Quil severely.

"Hey man, knock it off. She's taken, and besides, we're here to protect her, not to try to hook up with her."

"Yeah." I agreed.

But then, Bella looked over at the stairs. "Annabelle," She called gently. "There's a few people I'd like you to meet."

"Forget it!" An absolutely angelic voice called back. "I'm not meet-and-greeting anyone! I'm not leaving my room!" Following the voice was the sound of a door slamming.

Bella sighed. "Teenagers." She said.

Quil and Embry chuckled, but I continued to stare up the stairwell, dumbfounded.

"Umm, are we staying…up there?" I asked, gesturing to the staircase. She nodded.

"Upstairs, in the attic." She said. We all made faces. "Hey, I know it sounds crappy, but trust me it's not bad up there. It has carpeting and beds, so you should be able to survive. Go ahead up."

I darted up the stairs and flashed to the only door that was closed, and unthinkingly knocked on it. Before I had time to ask myself what the hell I was doing, a goddess came to the door. She was too gorgeous: long, brown hair with a slight touch of red, full lips, chocolate eyes, and a figure to die for. She was thin, but not too thin, with visible muscles under her tank top and flannel shorts. Her bangs were long enough to get in her eyes, and her complexion was clear, but pale. She looked a lot like Bella, but I saw Edward in her too, in her nose and ears; it was their daughter, Anthony's sister. I felt my heart actually skip a couple of beats, and a weird tingling all over.

"Can I help you?" She demanded, and I almost died at the sound of her voice so close to me.

What was _with _me?

"I…umm…I…" I mumbled, blushing as I looked down at her.

"Are you usually so articulate?" She asked sarcastically.

I shook my head. "I'm Ja-Jacob." I stuttered.

"And I'm A-Annabelle." She mocked. She was being mean, but I didn't care. She was too beautiful, and her name-- Annabelle! I was overcome by her magnificence and her essence, and so I just stood there. My knees shook a lot, and I could tell that I was weirding her out, but I couldn't open my mouth to say anything: my mind was on a weird rotating wheel of thoughts, like:

_Why was she so gorgeous? Why was she acting like this? Why couldn't I say anything? _And most importantly: _Why did I feel this way about her? _

Then, it hit me. Nothing on the face of this earth could have hit me harder than the realization that I had as she shut the door in my face; I heard Quil and Embry come up the stairs behind me, laughing quietly at a joke I hadn't heard. I could tell one of them was about to be a wiseacre, so I turned to them, my mouth hanging wide open.

"What?" They asked.

I shook my head.

They waited.

"…I think I just imprinted on her." I said.

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**A/n-- Okay, this is a question to Numzie and 4everdominicana for reading my mind: how on earth did you know that I was going to do that??? HUH???**


	16. Sustinance, Among Other Things

A/N- Okay, I know it took forever, and there may be unnecessary equals signs in this, but someone spilled soda on my laptop, so its acting funny. I tried to catch them all.

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**JPOV**

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I just stood there. I didn't know what else to do. So I just…stood there, looking worriedly at Quil and Embry, who stared right back, their faces blank with shock.

"What?" Quil asked.

"No way." Embry mused.

I just nodded, and then it got uncomfortably quiet. I didn't need to be in my…other self…to know what they were thinking. Surely I must be wrong. There's no way that I could imprint on the daughter of the one person that I truly hated with all my being. No way on the face of God's green earth. This couldn't be happening.

But she was so _beautiful._

"What…What do I do now?" I asked.

"Hey, we'd better go upstairs to talk about this. No telling who could've heard you just now." Embry said seriously. I knew who he was talking about. And the fact that I was still breathing and wasn't being thrown through a window right now was good enough evidence that he hadn't heard me. We all rushed up the stairs, bags slung over our arms, and shut the door firmly behind us. My hands were shaking, my head spinning with confusion, denial, and fear. I collapsed onto one of the twin-sized beds.

"Man, are you sure?" Embry asked, sitting down next to my knees. There was hardly enough room on the bed for me, let alone another guy just about my size, but he somehow managed to make room.

"Pretty sure!" I spat, getting upset. I could feel the blood rushing to my high cheeks and ears, but I was unsure if it was in embarrassment, shame, or anger. Maybe it was a triple-threat. I just couldn't believe it. I wouldn't.

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ANBPOV

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I laid down on my bed, flopping down onto my stomach to face the headboard, and I wondered what the giant dude who came to my door wanted. I mean, he was _huge _in the greatest sense of the term, with giant muscles, well-tanned skin and dark hair. I mean, he was kind of cute, but he was like, gawking at me the entire time he was standing in the doorway. Like he was hypnotized, or something. He just…weirded me out a little bit.

I turned my head to look out the window of my bedroom, which was almost big enough to be the whole wall, and glared at the moon. I didn't care what my Dad said, I wasn't going to quit going to school so close to the end of the year, all because of Anthony's little shrew. God, I hated her. She had completely ruined my life!

After a few more minutes of silent steaming, my mind turned back to the big guy, Jacob, he'd said his name was. Now that I really thought about it, he wasn't just kinda cute, he was _really _cute. Much as I usually did when I was pondering a cute guy, I felt the sudden urge to brush my hair. I spotted my thick-handled hairbrush sitting on my bureau; my eyes and mind locked onto it, and I concentrated hard. And, just like that, it flew through the air, and I caught it effortlessly. I pulled the comb through my thick tresses as I wondered if he was still here… I was getting bored quickly anyway, so I just opened the door with my mind and actually walked up the stairs that lead to the attic-- that's where I heard all of the ruckus. It was rare that I actually walked around at home, and I really thought that if I wasn't so active outside that I would be morbidly obese.

"I'm coming up." I called into the small door before climbing the ladder. It was warmer up in the attic, and I felt a little sweat start on the back of my neck. I was surprised to see that there were two other guys just as big as Jacob up there with him, and all three were rummaging through huge duffel bags that were sitting on the two beds and the fold-out couch near the small window. All three turned to look at me. After a few moments of very intense staring at one another I spoke.

"Hey." I said, almost sarcastically.

"Umm, hey?" He responded.

Out of nowhere, my intense urge beat down on me. It was the urge I always felt when I met someone new, the urge I'd had as far back as I could remember; it was the urge to own him. I took great satisfaction in knowing when someone was wrapped around my little finger, just the way I liked it, and I doubted it would be any different with him.

"I think I'll go and get a glass of water…" One of the other guys said.

"Me too…" The remaining dude, a shorter guy, agreed. Jacob shot them a look of pure desperation-- I fought to hold back a smirk. The others disappeared down the attic stairs, and when I could no longer hear their breathing, I looked right at the open spot of mattress next to Jacob.

"Mind if I sit down?" I asked, smiling.

He swallowed audibly. "N-N-N…It's…your house." He said.

God, he was making this _too _easy.

I slowly lowered myself down next to him, crossing my ankles and leaning against the foot rail, so that there was about eight inches of space between our legs. I looked intently at him; he avoided my eyes, and shifted uncomfortably.

"So, where are you from?" I asked.

He blushed.

"Not talking to me now?"

More blush. I sighed, and leaned back, tossing my curls over my shoulder. I was trying to give off the vibe that I was losing my patience, because I knew that he didn't want me to leave, despite his reluctance.

"Forks." He mumbled.

I smiled and nodded. "I've heard lots of stories about Forks. None of them with you in them, though…I'm pretty sure I would have remembered you…" I put a seductive edge into my voice and slowly reached over to stroke his bicep, bulbous as it was. He watched my hand approach his skin, and inhaled deeply through his nose; I gasped. His skin was _hot_. I would compare it to the temperature of someone's skin if they were running a fever of 105. It surprised me, and my arm jerked to move my hand away…but his hand caught mine, and he held it to his heart; it was racing.

Shocked, I looked up at his face; his eyes were already directed at mine, and they rose another gasp from my chest. His eyes were the darkest brown I'd ever seen, practically black-- I saw something in them, something warm. He had deep dimples that were visible even though he wasn't smiling.

He was beautiful.

I was so lost in staring that I didn't hear the stirring of the air as someone very fast approached. I didn't know who it was until they spoke.

"What the hell?!"

My Dad's voice was cold and deadly, seething with danger as both of our heads snapped to the side. Despite the fact that he was shorter and thinner than Jacob, he still filled the doorway pretty well, his silhouette menacing.

"Oh, hi Daddy." I said, pulling my hand back.

He didn't answer at first. But then he said "Annabelle, what are you doing up here?"

"I just wanted to come up here to meet them."

"What about the other two? There were three of them, not just _him._"

"They went downstairs when I came up. So I decided to just talk to Jacob here. Is there a problem with that?" I challenged.

I heard him inhale deeply. "Not particularly. I am just a little uncomfortable with you being up her alone with a _boy._" He put extra emphasis on the last word, kind of spitting it out; Jacob's eyes narrowed.

"She's fine with me." Jacob growled through clenched teeth.

There was a moment of intense silence between the two; my Dad spoke first.

"No…she isn't. Annabelle, go downstairs." He said.

"Why--"

"I said go."

I raised my perfectly trimmed brows at him; he was hardly ever this firm with me. Normally he would have at least said "please". I pulled the hem of my tank top down and huffed as I floated myself down the stairs.

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JPOV

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I watched with a noticeable amount of sadness as Annabelle, angel-like as she was, floated down the stairs, flaunting her own special power; my chest still burned from where her dainty hand had rested against my racing heart. Edward spoke.

"I could hear those disgusting thoughts you had when she was up here with you. Don't forget that I can hear _everything _that comes through your mind, and if you want to survive while you're here, you won't even let her come to your incompetent mind, let alone get near her. Stay away from my daughter." By the end of his speech, he was snarling, his orange eyes going black around the outside.

"She and I will be together." I said arrogantly. "And you can't stop it."

He growled and snarled "Are you so sure of that that you would be willing to bet your life?"

I just smiled. "Yes. Yes I am." I hardly noticed how cocky my voice was; I wasn't trying to make it that way. It just came out like that, so cocky, so sure.

I heard his teeth gnash together, and another snarl escaped. "And why is that, dare I ask?"

My smile grew; he knew what I was going to say, but I knew that he didn't want to hear it. I was so…I don't know, up…that I didn't consider the consequences of his overflowing emotions. And then I just said it.

"I've imprinted on your daughter."

Before I could even close my mouth he had me by the throat, holding me up off the bed to be eye level with him.

"You listen to me, you flea-bitten mutt," He hissed. "You did _not _imprint on my daughter. In fact, as far as you are concerned, she does not exist. You have come into my home for the purpose of protecting my son and his love, not to fraternize with my daughter-- we do not need this now. You are not to speak to her. You are not to look at her. You are not even to think about her in any way. And if you are to break any of these rules, I swear that I will not hesitate to kill you."

And with that, he dropped me onto the bed and turned to walk out of the room.

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THE NEXT DAY, AMPOV

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It had been another tough night. Again, no sleep for anyone, especially our new guests, who were up all night long being briefed on everything. Annabelle was still extremely angry with me for her selfish reasons, and Anthony was almost zombie-like with his sleepless worry about, well, everything. He was slumped over a bowl of Wheaties, his head nodding, when I spoke to him for the first time in hours.

"Are you okay?" I said gently.

"No."

I sighed and reached over to caress his hand. "I know that you're worried, and I know that you're tired, but--"

"I'm not tired."

"--but you need to just relax. The cavalry has arrived, and soon they'll have Jason, and we won't have to worry anymore. We'll be fine…" I yawned; God, I was tired. This was the longest I'd gone without blood in years. I felt so run down, and my pulse beat dangerously slow. I could smell the blood running in Anthony's veins; it made me salivate much more than I really should, bringing dark fantasies to my mind. I tried to shake them away, but it didn't work. My thirst was to the point of acute pain: I needed to feed, but I couldn't leave the house. Maybe…no. I could never ask that of him.

"Are you seriously that thirsty?"

I shook my head, clearing my mind fog.

"Huh?"

Anthony got up from the table to dump his mushy cereal. "I said, are you really that thirsty? You started to bite your lip, trying to draw blood from it. You probably didn't even notice that you were doing it." He said.

I flushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry." I said.

"Don't be." He responded. A minute later, he added something surprising. "You can drink from me if you want."

I was caught off guard. "What did you say?"

He didn't even turn to face me, just kept scraping the soggy wheat and milk down the drain. "I said that you can drink from me if you want to. I can tell that you really need it."

"Ah…Are you sure?"

"I'd be glad to help you out. I mean, I love you, and you must need it pretty bad if you're trying to get blood from your own lip."

_This is nuts. _I thought, but then I thought _That's pure genius. _But would it work? Sure, he had blood flowing in him, but was he like me, with an even mix of bright red blood and clear yellow-orange venom? I knew that, if I ever bled and the blood sat, stagnant, that the two would separate, venom on top.

"I-I don't know, Anthony." I stammered. "Would that work? I mean, do you have venom in your blood? I do, and I'm not sure what would happen if you…"

He shrugged, but I could see the worry that this brought to him; it clouded his sparkling bottle green eyes. "I guess we could ask my dad and my grandpa, or we could just find out on our own…" He trailed off. "We could try it tonight, when everyone goes out for rounds."

I sighed; it was such an _enticing _offer.

"I guess just trying wouldn't hurt anyone." I said.

He smiled at me and stepped up, caressing my face gently. He planted a single, lingering kiss on my lips, and then pulled away, looking at me with a tense light in his eyes.

"I'm going up to take a shower."

And then he just turned, without another word, and disappeared up the carpeted stairs, leaving me watching his back, those muscular shoulders. I swallowed hard.

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LATER THAT NIGHT, ANPOV

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Everyone had gone out for their nightly rounds, reluctantly leaving us alone at home, with no one there but Annabelle and the guys upstairs, all snoozing heavily in the attic. We were in my room, resting; Ann Marie had just showered, her hair damp as she padded around on the soft carpet in her short terrycloth shorts and tank top. She was pacing the room, checking the blinds to make sure that they were shut properly, checking the lock on the door, and for some reason, looking under the bed and in the closet obsessively.

"I'm pretty sure we're alone now." I said after a while.

She turned to me, her face worried. "You sure?" She asked.

I laughed.

She stepped forward and flopped down onto the bed next to me, punching me on the arm. "Don't laugh. I'm paranoid. It isn't funny."

I mashed my lips together, letting the smile fade from my face. I was trying to act lighthearted, but this happened sometimes when I got _really _nervous. She looked at me, staring for a few minutes. She bit her lower lip, clenching it between her straight, white teeth, her eyes never leaving mine. After a few long, long moments, she spoke.

"Are you ready?" She asked.

I nodded slowly, and she eyed the small futon that rested beside the bed, against the wall; I got up and sat in the middle of it, shirtless and donning my favorite old red flannel pajama pants. She slid gracefully onto my lap, kissing my forehead and running her right hand through my thick hair. She smiled a little bit, and her left hand found my chin.

"Lay your head back." She whispered.

I let my head rest against the padded back of the small futon, exposing the snowy white column of my throat; she eyed it hungrily. She bent her mouth to my ear, saying only one thing before she proceeded too far for us to stop:

"Thank you."

Then, I felt her full, warm lips on my skin; she kissed my Adam's apple once before turning her mouth to my pulsing carotid artery. Her breath was hot in the crook of my neck…and then I felt her teeth. There was a sharp sting, and I hissed, but quickly suppressed it, for the pain ebbed, replaced by a strange kind of masochistic pleasure. Not masochistic, really, just a feeling of giving and satisfaction.

"Ann Marie…" I hissed.

She moaned against my neck, and I felt her begin to suck-- my pulse quickened, my mouth fell open, and my hands went to her sides, bringing her body closer to mine. Her fingers played in my hair, and she began to overpower me, forcing my to lie down on the couch. She was resorting to her natural instincts, ripping at my shoulders with her fingers; I didn't notice that a few of the scratches bled.

After a few minutes, she pulled her mouth from my neck and forced my mouth open with her strong jaw, kissing me hotly. Her hips gyrated against mine, and _my _natural instincts began to take over-- I flipped over, pressing myself into her. Suddenly, we were on the bed, and I was peeling her tank top to expose her lacy bra. My forearm came down hard right over her head, landing in the sea of her red-brown locks. She was arching her back to me and moaning my name, jerking her head around.

_Screw it. _I thought. _I don't have the self control for this._

And with that, I reached up frenziedly to the bedside table drawer.

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LATER, AMPOV

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Anthony collapsed on top of me, sweating and panting heavily. His hair was matted, like mine, and he was shaking as he retracted himself from me. I whimpered, my hands caressing his shoulders.

He rolled over onto his back, pulling the used contraceptive from himself and tossing it into the trashcan on his side of the bed, turning to me. I kissed his forehead, and he looked at me with glazed over eyes. I stroked the scabbing double-crescent wound on the side of his neck, and he reached across to caress the matching one on my shoulder; I smiled. He'd lost a bit of his self-control while we made love. I felt sloshy, full, warm, happy, and…a little…dizzy, too. Was that supposed to happen? Was dizziness a symptom you usually got after amazing sex?

"Woo, man. I'm dizzy." Anthony panted.

"Me too."

We laid in each other's arms for a few minutes, trying to lower our heart rates and clear our heads; I didn't know about Anthony, but I was getting really dizzy really fast, and it wasn't getting any better. I curled into the fetal position, feeling my stomach lurch and fearing that I might get sick. I clutched my chest as my heart throbbed painfully, and I heard Anthony moan in pain behind me. I reached over to him, but my hand fell short. I was so weak; what was happening?

My breathing was painful and labored, sweat covered my forehead, and my heart throbbed. Black snaked swirled in front of my eyes. I tried to call out, but everything just went…black.

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**A/N- Aright, besides the awfully stereotypical ending there, I really thought that this was the best chapter so far. Big, dramatic climax up next! **


	17. One Last Time

**A/N- Here it is. The big finale (though it's not the final chapter, I promise).**

* * *

AMPOV

* * *

When I came to, it was extremely dark around me at first. When my eyes adjusted to the amazingly dim light, I looked around, trying to figure out where I was; I spotted Anthony, lying next to me, still unconscious. He was dressed in a pair of loose fitting shorts, and he was face down on the hard ground. There was no way we were still in his room. It was cold, slightly drafty, and the floor was uneven beneath me. It was at this point that I realized that I was completely nude apart from the big white sheet that was wrapped loosely around my body—and then I figured out what was going on.

"Anthony," I whispered desperately, reaching out to shake his shoulder. "Anthony, wake up, please!"

His eyes flew open, and, in a moment of primal defense and surprise, he jumped away from me, up onto his knees. I could see that his pupils dilated fully in a matter of seconds, but his body language told me that he still couldn't see that well. His hair was mussed from where he had been laid out on the ground, and when he spoke, I could see his breath escape his lips in a white puff.

"Where are we?"

Before I could answer him, there was a clicking sound, followed by an electric humming, and everything lit up. Someone had hit a light switch.

We were in some kind of warehouse; I could tell because it was just a big room with aluminum walls. Boards covered that aluminum in places, except for one place on the roof where there was a gaping hole, and a sliver of moonlight shone in from out behind the overcast clouds. The place was abandoned by the looks of it.

And then I heard the voice. It was that unmistakable voice, the one that I would never forget. It pierced through the air and hit my eardrums, cold and unpleasant.

"Ah, you're awake." The voice said. I looked around frantically, Anthony mocking me, but I didn't see anything. There was a quick rustling sound, and then a looming, dark figure stepped from the shadows near a doorway. I stopped breathing.

Jason.

Whenever he came into the light, I could see that he was hungry. Very hungry as a matter of fact, and he had probably starved himself just for this occasion. He was wearing his typical street clothing; jeans and a white t-shirt with tennis shoes. He had his hands in his pockets and his corn silk hair was tousled—the picture of ease. For now.

He approached me swiftly, grabbing onto my hand and pulling me up onto my feet; I struggled to keep the sheet covering me. Smiling softly, he twirled me around once. Anthony was frozen on the floor beside us. Like I had a few seconds ago, he must have thought this whole scenario a nightmare.

Suddenly, I felt Jason's cold lips brushing my ear. "I don't know why you try to run away from me, baby. You know I'll always find you." He whispered.

A shudder of pure terror broke down my spine as he pulled me into his arms, gripping me a little too tightly.

"Ah, at last I've found you." He sighed. "I've missed you so much, and surely you've missed me. I just couldn't believe it when you ran off. I guess now you'll have to repay me for my heartache…" He trailed off, lowering his snowy mouth to my neck.

"No!" I gasped, jumping from his grasp. I stumbled and fell on top of Anthony, the sheet opening slightly. My legs straddled his waist to their own accord.

Jason's face darkened dramatically. "Oh," He said. "I see. That's the way it is now, is it?"

Anthony's eyes were wide as I looked quickly down at him; he was in shock. As it turns out, taking my eyes off of Jason for even a millisecond was the worst mistake I could have made, aside from dating him in the first place. Suddenly, Anthony's weight was gone from beneath me; following that was the sound of something solid hitting one of the thick aluminum walls. My beloved's body fell in a crumpled heap where he landed, his form nearly curled into the fetal position. The sound of a few bones snapping rang in my ears.

"Anthony!" I wailed, tears coming to my eyes quickly. I took a step to run to him, but a pair of steel arms encased me.

"No you don't." Jason growled, his voice angry. "I'm not done with him, and I'm definitely not done with you."

With that, he flashed over to where Anthony was lying on the ground, helpless, and gave him a swift kick to the side; he sailed an easy five feet through the air before landing again, moaning. He tried to get up, but Jason put his foot on his back and forced him to stay down.

"Why did you leave me?" Jason demanded. His voice rang through the empty building, so angry and hateful.

I was speechless; was he really asking me such an obvious question?

"Don't make me ask you again, Ann Marie. Why did you leave me?"

He poised his leg to kick Anthony again.

"No, Jason! Don't! Please!"

"Then answer me!"

It was too much; my body went into it's primal fight-or-flight instinct, and I collapsed down onto the ground, my knees thudding mutely. My mouth was open, and this was what flowed out:

"I…I don't know."

His eyes flared with anger, and Anthony hit the wall with the force of Jason's kick. I screamed.

"I loved you!" Jason yelled. "I loved you, and you just left! How could you do that to me?!"

"You killed my mother, Jason! You took away the person that gave me life!"

He laughed wickedly. "Your mother deserved to die. She birthed the spawn of the devil, and the girl that broke my heart." He spat.

I snapped. I had never felt more primal than I did then.

I lunged for him.

* * *

EPOV

* * *

"Something's wrong."

At the sound of Alice's voice, my ears perked up, and I looked at my wife; her eyes had gone wide with fear. We all flashed over to Alice's post near a large sumac tree, the tree that she was now leaning against, her eyes glazed over. Jasper was gripping her shoulders.

"What is it?"

She shook her head, her eyes coming back into focus. "I…I don't know. We need to check on them."

We all tore off towards the house; we had decided to span out tonight, to cover the area a little further away from the house. It was so foolish. Why did we go so far? When we arrived at our house, we found Jacob, Quil, and Embry asleep in the attic upstairs. Annabelle was drooped over her desk, salivating onto a sheet of paper. I shook her awake as gently as I could in my worried haste, and she shook her head as she came to.

"What?"

I gripped her shoulder. "Annabelle, where are Anthony and Ann Marie?" I asked.

She made an unpleasant face. "I don't know. I've been asleep."

"The wolves don't know where they are either." Emmett reported grimly from the doorway.

I looked back at Annabelle. "Please, honey. We need to know anything you remember about before you fell asleep."

She rubbed her eyes. "Well, they went into Anthony's room and shut the door, so I went to write in my journal. I could hear them getting it on in there, so I put my head down, and that's all I remember."

We all sighed, frustrated.

"Is there something wrong with Ann Marie and Anthony?" She asked.

We all looked at her intensely.

"Yes," I said. "there is. They're gone."

* * *

AMPOV

* * *

Jason didn't really have to put up a fight with me. Even with all my rage and strength coming out, I was no match for his strength. He held me tightly to his chest, whispering sadistically in my ear as I watched Anthony over his shoulder; he wasn't moving.

"This can all go away." He said, rocking me gently. "All of it. You would never have to see me again, and you could just go on and be with your little lover boy. Would you be willing to cooperate to save him?"

I nodded; he had nicked the side of my mouth, and my lip was swollen, making it painful to speak.

I felt him smile against my ear. "Good girl. I would tell you, but I know that you already know what I want from you."

My eyes widened; he wanted to drink from me. I knew that it would hurt immensely, and that there was that chance that he could simply decide not to stop and kill me, but I was willing to do anything to save Anthony's life. I took one last look over at Anthony's form and saw that his eyes were open, staring at Jason and I. I mouthed 'I'm sorry' and then looked at Jason. I bent my head to one side to expose the side of my throat to him.

To my unpleasant surprise, he laughed.

"You think _that's _what I want from you?" He asked, raising his golden brows. "Silly, silly girl."

He picked me up swiftly, and the air around us stirred coolly as he carried me across the room, sheet and all. The next thing I knew, I was being laid out on a dirty, ripped mattress on the floor. Anthony was no more that twenty feet to my right, and my eyes widened as Jason climbed on top of me.

_No, _I thought, _no, no, no. This cannot be happening_.

But it was. The blonde vampire pulled his shirt off, tossing it idly to the side. He pulled the sheet over both of us, leaving me naked underneath him. He smiled when he saw my distressed face.

"Don't say that you didn't see this coming. What have I always wanted from you, Ann Marie? Well now that we're clear on what were doing here…" He trailed off, grasping my right hand in his grip. He lead my hand down to the zipper of his jeans, making my fingers clasp around it. His breathing sped up in my ear as he pulled my hand down, and with it his zipper. The sound was quiet and deadly; so ominous, that one little 'zip'.

I looked over and saw Anthony's face; it was dark, and angry. His eyes were wild with rage.

Jason gripped my thighs, spreading them so that he could lie between my legs; I felt something press into me, and my eyes filled with tears-- he was going to ruin me. He began; it was, for some reason, more painful than I'd prepared myself for. His breathing was uneven against the side of my head, and I cried quietly. This annoyed him-- after a moment, he clasped his cold hand over my mouth. His body moved faster against mine. The pain increased, and more tears spilled from my eyes. This was not how I knew sex to be; I knew it only by the two times I'd had with Anthony, my sweet Anthony. He was so gentle with me, always putting my pleasure before his own. Not Jason. He didn't care about me. He only cared about getting himself off. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off of his face, off of those cold eyes.

After a few more seconds, I saw Anthony rise to his feet out of the corner of my eye. He was coming over, and all I could think was _No, no, no, Anthony. Stay! Just let him finish with me and he'll go away!_

But apparently Anthony couldn't read my mind. I looked over at him; his mouth and nose were bleeding, his right eye beginning to swell shut. There was a six-inch cut across his abdomen that was spilling blood down his front. That was all the outer damage I could see now, but he was no doubt in serious condition internally. Jason looked over, then back down at me.

"You just can't fight your own battles, can you?" He asked, still inside me. He sounded disgusted. Then he was gone from inside of me, zipping his fly quickly and standing to face Anthony.

"You just don't want to stay down, do you?" Jason asked, looking at Anthony. When he didn't reply, he went on. "Look. I've got no reason to let you live. I mean, you slept with my girlfriend. And then you go and try to act like her prince charming, coming to her valiant rescue on his white horse. You're nothing but a scared little boy, are you?"

Anthony still said nothing. He continued to stand his ground, looking Jason directly in the eyes.

"What?" Jason asked, stepping forward to get in Anthony's face. "Fear got your tongue?"

Finally, Anthony spoke. "No. I slept with _my _girlfriend. Twice." He said.

Jason lurched forward to knock Anthony over but he didn't tumble. He shoved Jason back, grabbing onto his arm; I heard a crack, and Jason howled. His arm landed next to his leg on the ground, thudding like a stone that had fallen from the sky. Jason flung his attached arm out in defense; it collided with Anthony's face, and he sailed across the floor and landed on his back, his body dangerously still. Jason's arm was moving about wildly on the floor; he picked it up and held it to the socket…and it reattached itself. It was one of the freakiest things I'd ever seen, but I quickly forgot about it when he turned back to me.

I'd seen him this way before; he had snapped. His inner demon had been unleashed.

Without a word, he grabbed me up roughly; I heard my arm snap, and felt the pain ring out. I yelped, and then he shoved me up against the wall. His fly went down again, and he forced himself into me so quickly and so suddenly that I felt my pubic bone splinter. I screamed in pain and terror, but he clasped his hand over my mouth and nose; he was trying to suffocate me. And with my panicked breaths trying to leave my chest, I was only making it easier for him. He slammed into me with great force, fueled by his anger and hate.

"You deserve everything I'm giving you." He hissed in my ear. "What you don't deserve is the life you have, the air you breathe. I find that I can be quite a justice. I'm going to take what you don't deserve."

He was going to kill me. Oh, God, he was going to kill me. And I knew him well enough that I knew he would kill Anthony as soon as he was done with me.

He released into me; a growl left his throat, and his hand closed tighter around my face. My vision blurred, and then began to blacken around the edges; I was going to pass out. And I knew that once I was unconscious that it would be all over. I did what I could; I faked passing out. He dropped me to the ground, and for some reason, flashed over to the opposite side of the large, open warehouse, and turned away from me. Maybe he thought I was already dead.

But I stood; there was immense pain everywhere. My body burned and pained in ways and places that I could have never imagined. But I stepped forward, one foot at a time, to where Anthony was coming to again on the floor. My eyes were tearing up again, with a swell of physical and emotional pain. But I ignored it; I was being pushed forward by a force from somewhere in me. I knew that Anthony and I were about to perish, and I needed to kiss him, just one last time.

I collapsed onto him, unable to walk anymore, and desperately threw my arms around his neck. My mouth went to his, and something happened, something miraculous between him and I, that had never happened before. We shared a vision-- our lives together flashing before our eyes, all of our love for one another translated into pictures. Sitting on that stone wall outside Emily Beeman's party, sitting in the hospital waiting room, laughing. His arm around me during the movie on our first date. Us kissing in the backseat of his car, and me coming down the stairs on prom night. And the final image we saw was the most sensuous one yet; the first time we made love. I could see my face, the expression painted across it one of joyous pleasure. Anthony had his head buried in the crook of my neck, moving his body against mine. I could feel his hands on my yielding skin, his hot breath in my ear.

And then it ended. My last willing breath escaped into Anthony's throat, and his into mine.

More darkness followed.

* * *

Everything that happened next was a blur. I only caught glimpses, because I faded in and out of consciousness. I saw dark figures, felt something cold and dry press against my neck. There was a shrill cry in the black, and the smell of smoke from a fire. I felt light, and then heavy again. There were garbled voices and cries, followed by a bright light overhead. An annoying beeping, and a pinch in my right forearm. There was something put into my nose. The word "Clear!" rang out, and I prayed for consciousness.

* * *

Whenever I opened my eyes however much longer later, I was surrounded by unnaturally clean white. Even the air felt too clean. In a moment of panic, I tried to sit up, but something was restricting me.

I was in a hospital. I had a breathing tube in my nose, an IV in my arm, and a cast around my entire lower half. I was immobile…and alive.

"You're up." Someone said from beside me. My Dad looked awful, but his expression was one of pure relief. I know that, considering that I should have died and had no idea how I was alive, I should have said something overly emotional to make you cry. But what came out was:

"And I've got a good arm to feed myself."

He smiled. I knew that he wouldn't laugh.

"Anthony…" I said. "Where is he?"

He leaned back to the curtain beside him and pulled it back, his face somber; there was another bed beside mine, opposite the curtain, and in it laid my broken lover. He was hooked up to more machines than I could count, tubes winding out of his nose and mouth. He had an IV as well, hooked up to a heart monitor that let out a beep every second and a half, then two.

_Beep. Beep….beep. Beep…….beep_.

My dad looked at me from his chair; his face said a lot. Pity. Hurt. Worry. Love. Concern. Sadness. He knew that I loved Anthony, and I knew that he was going to say the one thing I didn't want to hear.

"He's still in a coma."

* * *

**a/n- …….Jason is just sick. **


	18. Healing

**A/N- Alright, continuing….please read the author's note at the bottom.**

* * *

AMPOV

* * *

"C-Coma?" I asked.

My father nodded solemnly. "He's got seven broken vertebrae, massive internal lacerations, bleeding….et cetera et cetera."

I looked over at him again: he was so peaceful looking. If it weren't for the tubes, and the bruises, and the stupid beeping heart monitor, he could be sleeping. My eyes watered up as I realized once again that I had been the one to cause all of this. I was tempted to call to him. But I knew nothing would happen if I did. I sunk into the uncomfortable pillow and sighed; you could hear the gush of tears behind the sigh. I felt my Dad's cool hand on mine. He was looking down at me, a small smile playing on his lips, but I could see the rush of emotions behind it, hiding in his darkening ocher eyes.

"Everything is going to be okay," He promised. "Things are gonna get better. You'll heal, as will he. Hell, the doctors even said he may wake up as early as this afternoon."

"Patrick?" Someone called from the door.

He looked back quickly and then back down at me. "I'll be back, alright?" I nodded, and he kissed my forehead before standing and walking to the door, his shadow casting over Anthony's body. He closed the door behind him, leaving me all alone in the silence of the hospital room. I turned my head, not without pain, to look over at him; I swear, his lips twitched. Flopping back onto the uncomfortable pillows, I groaned quietly at the pain in my….well, everything. I stared up at the ceiling for I don't know how long, counting the black flecks in the white ceiling tiles. The door opened; I looked over. It was Bella. God, seeing her made a rush of guilt swell behind my bruised ribcage.

"Hi." Bella whispered, sitting on the stool between our beds. She looked over at Anthony, her long, white hand reaching out to caress his face.

"My beautiful baby boy." She said. "He looks peaceful, doesn't he? Edward can see what he's thinking, but he won't tell me. Just something a mother doesn't need to see, he says." She shook her head. "How are you feeling?"

I shifted a little bit. "I…I'm okay." I hesitated with guilt.

She smiled. "You know, you don't have to feel guilty." She whispered.

My head snapped in her direction, causing a throbbing pain to start in my right temple. "What?" I asked.

"Anthony's uncle, Jasper, he reads emotions. They were all in here with you two for a while. He said that guilt was radiating off of you in waves. And I want you to know that you shouldn't feel guilty about this. It isn't your fault."

"But it is!" I protested. "It really is! I should never have gotten with Anthony. If I hadn't, he wouldn't be laying over there on his deathbed!" My voice went from an arguing, acidic snarl to a hushing, quiet whisper. "I've ruined our lives." My head fell into my bruised hand.

She was very quiet for what seemed like a long time. But then I felt her dry, cool hands on mine, her slim fingers under my chin, lifting my head up, and she said "I know that you don't regret being with him. And really? I'd never seen him so happy, so _alive_, before he was with you. You make him so happy. And the reason you are both in the hospital right now may be because you had a problem with someone who was severely mentally disturbed. But I also know that he would have gladly died back there just to ensure that you went on. He loves you, Ann Marie."

I had stopped breathing. "Jason…what happened to him?" Fear encased me at the possibility that the man who almost killed me could still be out there.

"He's gone. We took care of him and burnt the warehouse to the ground. Well, that part was left to Emmett and Jasper. After we got there, Edward and I were busy getting you two here. Carlisle came with us, but your dad stayed behind. I don't think I've ever seen someone be so eager to rip into someone else. Literally. Except for, maybe…" She trailed off, remembering something.

"What?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

There was silence, but then there was a disturbance in the next bed over; Anthony's annoying heart monitor started to make a shrill, alarming ringing noise, and his legs began to stir beneath the covers. I sat up as far as I could, and Bella whipped around.

"Edward! Carlisle! Everyone!" She yelled out.

Almost immediately the room was filled with vampires, all crowding around the shaking bed and blocking my view of what was going on: was he dying? Or was he waking up? I couldn't tell. My hands gripped the metal safety bars on the sides of my own bed in frustration as I called out in little quips of "Hey!" and "I can't see. What's going on?" surrounded by endless babbling and worried chatter. And then, as soon as it had all started, it was over. The room was quiet. Everyone stopped moving, and the circle opened so that I could finally see the results of the momentary chaos.

Anthony was awake; his head was rolling around on his pillow, his clear green eyes blinking. His heart monitor stopped screeching, and Bella was automatically holding and cradling him, kissing his face and holding his head in her lap.

"Whaa?" He asked confusedly. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital, baby." I said, smiling.

His head turned in his mother's lap, and he saw me, but his reaction was not what I'd expected nor what I'd hoped. His eyes went sort of flat, and he didn't smile. His brow furrowed. Maybe he was just surprised to see me? I wasn't sure why, but that hope seemed a little bleak.

"How do you feel, son?" Edward asked. "You're a little banged up."

"I can tell." Anthony responded, looking down at his two cast legs and noticing the brace on his back. "How badly?"

Carlisle smiled. "You don't need to know the full extent, but you'll be just fine after some physical therapy."

He grimaced.

* * *

LATER, ANPOV

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Hospital food sucks. I don't mean to whine, considering that I shouldn't even be alive right now, but man. The only edible thing on the tray that the nurse brought me is the pre-packaged chocolate pudding, which is a pain to open when you can't really move your back. But when I finally got it, I licked the aluminum seal clean in victory. It tasted off; I turned the seal over. Damn. Sugar free.

I leaned back onto the thin down pillows gently, looking at Ann Marie. She had fallen asleep about an hour before, so easily. About as easily as she'd laid down on that mattress and let that monster--

My train of thought was broken at the sound of the door opening; I winced, thinking it was the trauma specialist, come to draw more fluids from my back to see if the swelling around my spine had gone down. But luckily it was my dad. He looked more tired than usual, the circles under his eyes darker. He had one of his hands behind his back, and I smelled a familiar combination of salt, potatoes, beef…He held up the McDonald's bag, shaking it a bit.

"Who's the best?" He asked, setting it down on the little tray that extended over my lap. I grabbed it up quickly.

"You!" I said eagerly.

He smiled as I tore into the fast food; usually, he didn't like for me to eat this stuff around him because of the smell, but I guess he was dealing with it because I was nearly crippled.

"What's the story?" I asked between wolfing bites.

"Story?"

"The story." I repeated. "About why we're in the hospital. Because I see that arrangement over by Ann Marie is from Will Foster. He went to school with us, and he had a giant crush on her, like everyone else." I growled, rolling my eyes.

He chuckled. "You were in a car accident involving a drunk driver coming home together from prom." He said. "And I can get rid of the flowers if you want. But there will be many more to come for both of you. Visiting hours start in fifteen minutes."

I thought. "No. Just burn the card. Daises are her favorite."

He stood and slipped the card into his pocket. "From an anonymous well-wisher."

* * *

Our first group of visitors showed up about twenty minutes later; the team, and Coach Anderson. Chad was pleasantly absent. Miles held a large card that read on the inside "Heal Up Soon, Captain!". Peter, Kyle, Paul, and Ryan all managed to squeeze onto my bed, balanced carefully on the edge. Luke handed me a small box with terrible wrapping; inside, there was a brand new ball….bright pink. Adam and Tyler stood between the two beds, and Coach stood beside me. Chase and Brian both carried a rather large arrangement; one of pink roses, another of lilies.

"They're for Ann Marie." Brian said. "We felt kind of crappy not bringing her anything."

"My God, look at yourself man! Your all jacked up!" Peter pointed out.

"What was the accident like?" Tyler asked.

They all stared right at me, waiting to hear some brutal horror story about an accident that never even happened.

"Well…" I hesitated, thinking. "I don't really remember anything. We were driving home, and then, poof. Nothing."

They were all silent for a second; I crossed my fingers, hoping they didn't call my seriously incriminating bluff.

"…That's intense." Miles finally said. They all agreed in unison, expressing concerns about whether I was going to be playing college ball next year. I told them that as soon as I was out of rehab I would be right back out onto the field. The rest of the time we just talked about what I had missed at graduation, from Rita Warner's boring fifteen minute valedictorian speech to Chad slipping on the stairs and the video getting posted on YouTube. But then the nurse announced that there were other visitors who wanted to see us, and that if they wanted to come back tomorrow that was "just fine."

Next in was the entire art club, who brought in a full scale easel for Ann Marie, who woke when she heard the mob approach. Her time was my time to rest, the conversation not worth listening to. Ann Marie sounded happy that they had come to see her.

Later and last of all were a bunch of teachers, who came baring cards and a pictures from graduation and our diplomas. Mrs. Willows gave me a play-by-play of graduation and expressed how sad she was that I'd missed it. But after everyone had gone, it was dark outside, and I was exhausted. A petite nurse shot some more pain meds into my IV, and within minutes, I was out cold again.

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**A/N- We're nearing the end. I'm thinking two or three more chapters. **

**But what's more important is that I've been trying to get facts in line for a threequel . I'm thinking the end of college, marriage, new house, and then some marital problems with a little vampire drama. I need to know what you think. You can post you opinion as a comment, or you can take the poll on my profile.**

**Thanks for being so good to me, giving me the kick in the butt when I needed it.**


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